Wicker Island: New flats to form part of new Sheffield neighbourhood
Construction on a new 12-storey block of flats is due to start any day now, as wider work on a new-look to one of Sheffield’s neighbourhoods continues to progress.
Around two years ago, on January 26, 2024, Sheffield City Council granted permission for the construction of 267 new apartments on the site of the former Sheffield Testing Laboratories on Nursery Street.
Contractors at Clegg Construction, on behalf of the Liverpool-based developer Brickland, have since undergone additional work to finally receive ‘Gateway 2’ building control approval from the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) for the £46 million project.
The additional approval was introduced for high rise buildings under the Building Safety Act 2022, to avoid tragedies like the the Grenfell Tower fire which resulted in 72 deaths.
With this latest approval granted, developers are hoping to begin construction this month.
Michael Sims, managing director at Clegg Construction, said: “Securing Gateway 2 approval from the BSR confirms that this development in Sheffield meets the most stringent of safety requirements.
“This approval means that we can now proceed to the next stage, with enabling work starting on site to deliver this 12-storey concrete-frame apartment project.”
Now that ground finally set to be broken on what has become multi-year-long project, the development of the so-called ‘Wicker Island’ is edging closer to reality.
Just over a year ago, proposals to build a £21m apartment block at the old Coroner’s Court, also on Nursery Street, received approval.
Located just a stone’s throw away from the Sheffield Laboratories plan, the development would see the demolition of the court, constructed in 1913, to be replaced by a 10-storey block of 100 flats.
During the consultation period for the Coroner’s Court development, the minds behind the project pitched the new apartment blocks as part of a redevelopment of the Wicker Riverside.
It was explained that following successful efforts to rejuvenate places like Kelham Island and Neepsend, this newly-coined Wicker Island - that would run along a bend in the River Don - could follow the trend.
In 2022, a council City Vision Document said Wicker Island will be a new ‘city core neighbourhood’.
Owners of the former Big Gun pub - on nearby street Wicker - are currently seeking approval to turn the building into three commercial units, while in the past few years the Harlequin pub underwent a £50k renovation.
Work continues to be done to keep this area active, but these new high-rise flats could help refocus investment on Wicker Island - a name which may become as trendy and recognisable as Kelham Island or Ecclesall Road some day.