John Lewis Sheffield: Developer interest plunges after department store is listed

And announcing a winner has been pushed back four months to March.

Officials said Sheffield Council had ‘at least four’ prospective bidders but the final figure would only be known after the deadline for final submissions in early February. A decision will be taken by the finance sub-committee in March.

In August, Coun Mazher Iqbal said there had been ‘15 or 16’ ‘credible and exciting’ bids for the Barker’s Pool building, which meant it would not stand empty. And a final decision had been pushed back from summer to November due to the sheer number of applicants, he added.

The authority is selling the landmark building on a 250-year lease after John Lewis shut down in 2021. There was an outcry when it was Grade II-listed in August. Sheffield MP Clive Betts warned it would be a ‘a real obstacle’ to attracting developers.

A city council spokeswoman said: ‘We have at least four prospective bidders but it will not be clear until close to the submission date how many of those will submit a final proposal’.

They have now been invited to work up their final proposals, she added. Final submissions will be received in early February and a decision will be taken to the finance sub-committee in March.

A group of architects and historians applied to Historic England to have the building listed because it is ‘historically and architecturally’ important and re-using it could be quicker, less disruptive and greener than ‘unsustainable demolition’.