Development planned for former steelworks site

Developers want to convert the former Outokumpu steelworks, in Shepcote Lane, into a mixed use business park, including industrial units and offices.

The development is proposed over two phases - the first to include two separate units, one of 4,174 square metres, and the second of 12,441 square metres.

The application also includes provision for 195 parking spaces, and the site would be accessed from Shepcote Lane.

Outline planning consent is also being applied for for the second, larger phase of the development.

Phase two would comprise “approximately 14 hectares of land,” the planning report states, “comprising three units with 599 parking spaces”.

The area is largely industrial with one residential street and is within the city’s industrial corridor, the report states.

Residents have said that traffic has always been an issue in the area since Meadowhall and Ikea were built nearby, and that the height of the structures would overshadow domestic dwellings.

They also flagged up parking problems in the area, particularly caused by HGVs visiting other industrial units in the area.

“The proposed redevelopment of part of the former Outokumpu site is welcomed in terms of bringing a currently derelict and contaminated brownfield site back into employment use,” the report states.

“ With regards the highway implications of the development, it is acknowledged that there will be an impact upon the network but that with the agreed mitigation and monitoring, and in light of the robust assessment undertaken, it is considered that on balance the impacts are at acceptable levels.

“In all other respects such as parking, access and manoeuvrability the proposal is considered to be satisfactory.”

Last year the site was bought by Peel Logistics Property or £8.5m.

The deal comes after Outokumpu put the site on the market in October 2015. The giant plot off Shepcote Lane in Tinsley was once home to more than a dozen buildings where thousands worked. They were razed in 2011 and the site cleared.

Speaking in 2017, Neil Dickinson, Peel Logistics chief operations officer, said: “This project is a great opportunity to deliver over 800,000 sq ft of new logistics space by regenerating a dormant site and potentially creating thousands of new jobs in the region.”

The application is recommended for approval with conditions when it is considered by Sheffield City Council’s planning and highways committee on Tuesday, July 24.