Hillsborough Park: Pictures show 'improvements' to popular Sheffield park progressing as café takes shape
Pictures show how a new café is taking shape, as work moves ahead to revamp a section of Hillsborough Park.
Builders are on the site, near Penistone Road, around where the tennis courts were, and have now got the steel skeleton of the building in place.
Tradesmen can be seen carrying out the building work, while construction vehicles move around the site, which is also close the car park.
Work at the site, on its current multi-use games area, is set to be transform it into a new activity hub and community café, brought forward by Courtside, the social enterprise behind Premier Tennis which manages several tennis courts in the city.
The plans include a community café with indoor and outdoor seating, a fully resurfaced games area with LED lighting and line markings for 5-aside football and four games of basketball.
There will also be tennis, padel and mini golf, an indoor activity space, a extended Learn to Ride area accessible by widened pathways, improved landscaping and free-to-use toilets.
When the scheme was approved by Sheffield Council earlier this year, Leah Byatt from Save Our Parks told councillors that the land in question in Hillsborough Park was supposed to be protected from sales or disposal as the park is a charitable trust park.
And the campaign group Friends of Hillsborough Park objected to the council’s 'pay to play' plan for an upgraded multi-use games area (MUGA) in the park. Four floodlit tennis courts would be moved to make room for the MUGA, replaced with three, they said at the time.
The Star asked Hillsborough Park users their views of the scheme, now that the café is starting to take shape. And the reaction was one of enthusiasm for the project.
Linda Roberts, who lives in Hillsborough, said: “I think it’s a good thing, because that side of the park didn’t really get used apart from in the summer when they had the tennis courts there.
“They’ve improved it by doing the bike track for the kids, and that gets used quite lot, so it can only be a good thing really.”
James Green, from Middlewood, said: “I think from what I’ve heard that there’s a café going in there, which will be handy, won’t it? I think they’re upgrading the tennis courts, so that’s good if you like tennis. For me, I think there’s still plenty of green space. Can’t be a bad thing.”
Shaun Syron, a cyclist from Crookes, said: “We used to use that, so I’m just a bit worried that we may not have enough toom left when it’s all finished. Other than that, I think it’s a good idea that people can come in and use the padel tennis court and the café.”
Melissa Holdsworth, a mum from Meersbrook, who is also involved in a cycling group, said: “I think it’s a positive really, If there’s going to be a café there and toilets, it will bring more people to the area. And a bike park as well! I know that there’s already a BMX track, but it gets well used so I think it’s only a good thing really.”
Mum Robin Pappin, from Crookes, was at the park with children Maeve and Charlie. She said: “It’s great. It’s really improving the space, actually, and we really love coming down here, Any new additions are a good thing.”