Cole Brothers: ‘1,000 jobs’ in former John Lewis department store plan
A revamped former John Lewis in Sheffield could support 1,000 jobs, developers have said.
The Barker’s Pool building would deliver ‘substantial economic and social value’ if Sheffield City Council agrees to the strategy by Urban Splash.
The business is seeking planning permission to change and upgrade the former department store for use as offices ‘underpinned by active ground floor and cultural uses’.
This, it states in a planning statement, ‘is the only realistic and sustainable way forward’.
It adds: ‘Purely retail or residential-led scenarios would either fail to achieve viability, conflict with the building’s physical structure, or generate more significant heritage harm.
‘The chosen strategy ensures that the building can once again operate successfully, supporting up to 1,000 jobs, delivering substantial economic and social value, and providing the long-term resilience that a landmark of this scale and prominence demands’.
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Urban Splash bought the listed building from Sheffield City Council for an undisclosed sum last year.
Last week it submitted a planning application to transform it from ‘an inward-looking department store into an outward-facing civic and cultural hub, with animated frontages, permeable routes, inclusive access, and spaces for community gathering and creativity’.
It is also set to have a ‘public rooftop destination’.
A spokesperson for Urban Splash said the aim was for initial move-ins to take place in 2027, with activities and events in 2026 to ensure the building remained ‘vibrant and engaging’.
John Lewis closed with the loss of 299 jobs in 2021.
Urban Splash is also redeveloping Park Hill flats, which it bought from Sheffield City Council for £1 19 years ago.