Hundreds of new residents set to move into Park Hill flats after last latest phase of re-vamp is announced

The next phase of the redevelopment of Sheffield’s Parl Hill flats complex has been announced - with a disused block of 125 flats on Duke Street set to be inhabited again from spring 2028.

GMI Construction Group is refurbishing the disused block after being appointed by joint venture partners Urban Splash, a private developer, and housing association Places for People.

It follows a £6.4m taxpayer grant from government agency Homes England. The total cost of the project is more than £30m.

Some 95 flats will be for sale. The remaining 30 will be for social rent, with rents capped at up to 80 per cent of local market rates and marketed separately by Places for People.

Ed Weston, regional director for Yorkshire at GMI Construction Group, said the project demanded a “sensitive, experienced approach.”

He added: “Phase 4 represents the next chapter in Park Hill’s careful evolution. Our priority is exceptional delivery, respecting the building’s heritage while creating high-quality, sustainable homes and public spaces that will support a thriving, long-term community.”

Urban Splash bought Park Hill from Sheffield City Council in 2004.

Sian Stanhope of Urban Splash said Duke Street marked another step in the long-term regeneration of Park Hill.

She added: “Our ambition has always been to create a vibrant, mixed community here – and this milestone brings us even closer to delivering on that vision.”

Park Hill opened in 1961 with 998 flats in four huge buildings. It was Grade II listed in 1998 and is the largest listed structure in Europe. The last resident left in the mid 2000s.

Urban Splash bought it from Sheffield City Council in 2004.

With Places for People, it says it has completed 455 homes, accommodation for 356 students and 50,000 sq ft of commercial workspace, including South Street Kitchen, The Pearl, and the Grace Owen Nursery.

The first phase of redevelopment, overlooking the city centre, features orange and yellow panels. It has 260 flats and businesses on the ground and lower floors, on South Street.

Phase 2 is the adjoining block. It also faces the city centre but has retained the original brick. It has a further 195 flats.

Phase 3 is a separate block to the rear with 356 student beds, which opened in 2020.

Phase 5 is near Talbot Street and the amphitheatre overlooking the station. It is the final phase and has planning permission for 105 flats, a mix of one- to four-bedroom apartments, duplexes and townhouses.

Work has yet to start there.

Designed by Sheffield City Council architects, Ivor Smith and Jack Lynn, Park Hill opened to great acclaim in the early 1960s.

The famous ‘streets in the sky’ - super-wide walkways - had room for milk floats and were said to encourage community because residents had to walk past neighbours’ front doors, unlike in tower blocks arranged around a lift.

Most flats have windows on both sides - with panoramic views over the city and the much quieter green area to the rear - and generous balconies.

Living rooms face south or west for best light, while bedrooms face north or east. Park Hill was popular with its first residents who moved in as part of a slum clearance project and enjoyed modern amenities.

But by the 1980s it was famously reviled due to high unemployment, lack of maintenance due to a lack of funds and the declining reputation of social housing.

Its surprise Grade II listing in 1998 was met with shock and dismay among Sheffielders, who were used to seeing concrete complexes come crashing down.

Urban Splash came on the scene after bosses were ‘badgered and badgered’ to visit by local MP at the time, Richard Caborn.

In 2022, Urban Splash development director Mark said they could immediately see its quality. And although they took possession for just £1 in 2006, it came with £40m of ‘negative value’, a yard-high book of terms and conditions and a decades-long commitment.

At the time he said: “The first time our founder Tom Bloxham came he wasn't sure. He could see the qualities and position next to the city centre. But he felt perceptions needed changing. A lot of people had completely fallen out of love with it.

“When we started to talk to residents it was different. One said, ‘people think it is a slum but actually I've got one of the best penthouses in Sheffield’.

“It’s better designed than Kelvin and Hyde Park, which were demolished. But it's hard to see if you have never visited. It just looks like a huge fortress on the hill.”

Phase 1 and 2 apartments in the Park Hill comlex sold very well. And when Phase 4 is complete, 90 per cent of the enormous 995-apartment complex will be back in use.

Phase 5 will be next, although on current form it may yet take years.

But it is possible, finally, to visualise the completion of the second coming of Park Hill.