Sheffield business body marks decade of improving city centre

Activity by Sheffield’s Business Improvement District (BID) has brought in around 1.2 million extra visitors, to the tune of £19m additional spend, since it was launched in 2015.

The delivery body today represents hundreds of retailers, hospitality and leisure venues, with 458 paying a levy to be part of the initiative.

Projects led by the BID include support for major events - such as the Tramlines Fringe and Castlegate Festival - and delivery of themed visitor trails and restaurant week Dine Sheffield.

Its Clean Team spends over 6,700 hours a year clearing graffiti from business premises.

And the BID has introduced networks of life-saving defibrillators and emergency bleed kits.

Diane Jarvis, Head of Business Operations at Sheffield BID, said: “Everyone who has visited or worked in Sheffield city centre in the last decade has likely experienced the work of Sheffield BID.

“When we started, we wanted to create a vibrant, safe and welcoming city centre.“While we’ve achieved a lot, our work is far from finished, although we have played a significant part in shaping the city centre you see today.

“One of the key strengths of the BID is its stability, no matter what is happening politically or with world events.

“We have a strong presence in the city centre. That consistency has allowed us to build up strong working relationships and trust with local businesses and other agencies over a decade.”

One of the BID’s first projects was launching the suited and booted BID Buddies, a street concierge service providing welcome, wayfinding and reassurance to visitors.

The Alive After 5 campaign encouraged people into the city centre between 5pm and 7pm through extended opening hours and early evening activities.

Diane said the BID hopes to launch more innovative ways to support businesses, if a third term of the body is agreed.

A renewal ballot to decide if the BID should continue will be held in October this year.

Diane added: “We do a lot of activities now, and in a third term we’d like to carry on doing those, but also be bigger and bolder.

“We want to support businesses in new and innovative ways because the world is changing and so is the city centre.”

The BID co-ordinates the Best Bar None awards, which recognise venues with responsible licensing practice to promote a safe night-time economy.

It manages the Sheffield Gift Card scheme - which was the first of its kind in England - and lobbied for the Sheffield Free Wi-Fi.

During the Covid-19 lockdowns, BID security teams patrolled the city centre to check on business premises and report issues.

The BID has also given a voice to city centre retailers through its High Street Forum.It has advocated for change to city centre policy or planning, such as with the recent Public Services Protection Order to tackle anti-social behaviour.

It also improves accessibility in the city centre through its Mobile Sheffield hire service.