Fargate: Shipping containers placed in Sheffield city centre to be turned into mini shopping complex

The Fargate shipping containers will open as a mini shopping complex in the city centre by early September.

The £446,000 project will be bolted together out of corrugated steel boxes, creating space for seven businesses, toilets, planted living walls, outdoor seating and a big screen in a bid to draw more visitors to the area.

This morning (August 5), a crane arrive on Leopold Street to lower the first shipping containers into place.

It comes after the top of Fargate has been fenced off for over a month while concrete struts to support the boxes were laid down.

In the city centre today, passers-by had mixed opinions on the project.

“I’m looking forward to having a look around inside,” said one resident, Alison Snowling.

“It’s something, anyway. You’ve got to do something to bring people back to the city centre.”

Another resident, Paula, only hoped the toilets would be public as she felt the city “doesn’t have any”.

The complete list of businesses moving into the container park include: Jam Art Works (original prints), Yoki (Korean street food), Urban Slice (pizzas), Hide (events), Re-Owned (pre-owned clothing), Get Wurst (German street food) and Cake & Craft (bakes).

But some weren’t impressed.

“It’s completely inorganic,” said one resident. “It doesn’t look anything like what’s around and it’s just going to stand out.”

“It’s all well and good, but what is it doing for the existing businesses in the city centre?” said another resident.

“The number of shops open is so dire now.”

The project was due to open ahead of the Women’s Euros, but had to be delayed when Yorkshire Water raised concerns the heavy containers would damage a major sewer system under Fargate.

An agreement was made when the Sheffield City Council proposed to move the entire structure approximately 1.3m to the right, taking weight off the network.

The project was initially budgeted at £300,000, but this increased to £446,000.

It will be paid for by central government grants via the Get Britain Building fund which was secured by the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority.

The hub was designed by Steel Yard, a Sheffield-based company specialising in shipping container architecture with a large base in Kelham Island.