There are plans for almost every square inch of Sheffield these days thanks to a dynamic private sector guided by the council’s strategic vision.
Some areas have been thoroughly modernised, others are in the pipeline and some are very much still on the drawing board.
But given a long enough timeline, the following projects will change the face of Sheffield, no doubt about it.
1. Cole Brothers
More than 1,200 people attended a public consultation held in the former John Lewis, ahead of it being redeveloped. Whether their views will make much difference to the future of the loved building remains to be seen. But the publicity will have given developer Urban Splash a boost in its quest to find tenants. It is the final piece in the city council’s Heart of the City regeneration scheme. | nw Photo: David Walsh
2. Fargate
The end of the revamp of one of Sheffield’s most important streets is in sight. Disruption started in April last year and is not set to finish until the end of this winter. By then, hopefully, patient Sheffielders will be able to stroll along a magnificient boulevard flanked by prestigious shops, cafes and restaurants. | NW Photo: David Walsh
3. Ski Village
This hilly site close to the city centre is too good not to be developed, eventually. Earlier plans to build an outdoor sports and more recent Gravity Park plans have gone all fallen through. So the city council is starting from scratch, with £19m from government to clean up the fly-tipped site, improve access (the big problem is one-lane railway tunnel on Bardwell Road which chokes access) and create a country park. | NW
4. Castlegate
The foundations of the city’s once mighty castle will be the centrepiece of a magnificent new park in Castlegate with the Sheaf ‘daylighted’ for the first time in over 100 years (see pic). The city council hopes it will lead to the transformation of the wider area, which it calls a ‘priority neighbourhood’ with up to 1,000 homes (flats) to create a ‘vibrant mixed-use neighbourhood, supporting the surrounding commercial uses’. The aim is to bring a ‘permanent 24-hour population into the neighbourhood, supporting the long term vibrancy. Student accommodation will not be acceptable’. | Tom Hunt