aparthotel Sheffield: Derelict former court building in city centre set to be transformed after plans approved

Lead architect and heritage consultant Purcell is working with developers Pinebridge Estates to transform the city’s former tribunal court, opposite Sheffield Cathedral in East Parade, into 18 design-centric, ‘work-friendly’ apartments.

The contemporary spaces will offer visitors the option to switch between business and leisure as needed.

The development, including the reinstatement of a high-level stone balustrade, will reinvent the historically significant, Grade II listed building whilst preserving key aspects of its heritage.

Rich with history and dating back to around 1825, 14 East Parade was originally built and first used as a charitable bluecoat school for boys.

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The school was relocated in the early 1900s and from the 1950s the building was used as offices, later becoming a tribunal court.

For the last four and a half years it has stood empty.

Close discussions with Historic England and The Georgian Group ensured any plans would protect 14 East Parade’s most noteworthy historic features, in turn helping to preserve Sheffield’s history and links to its past.

Pinebridge Estates director Ben Smith said: “This is a fantastic opportunity to breathe new life into a building that has been empty for the last four and a half years.

“The reinvention of this key site, steeped in history, will provide a beautiful, biophilic space that will leave a lasting legacy in Sheffield.”

Hallamshire Historic Buildings objected to a unique rooftop playground at the former school being lost in the development scheme.