Former Sheffield cutlery works to be transformed into apartments as part of £25 million plan

Capital&Centric will convert the Grade II-listed Eye Witness Works site, on Milton Street, into around 100 apartments, after acquiring the building from Sheffield Council.

The firm pledged to mix ‘design-led contemporary living with the work’s original features’ and would also look to add a café and bar on Thomas Stret.

Eye Witness Works was home to Taylor’s Eye Witness for 150 years, with the firm producing pocket and kitchen knives in industrious pre-war Britain.

A planning application could be submitted and approved by the end of the year, with the first residents moving in by the end of 2020.

Sheffield Council launched the sale of the site following a property swap with Taylor’s.

The firm moved to a bigger, newer production site just off Sheffield Parkway and the council said it wanted to secure a tenant that would save the historic building.

Adam Higgins, co-founder of Capital&Centric, said: “Sheffield has such a rich heritage and we’ve been anxious to get our hands on one of its historic buildings. Eye Witness Works is a perfect first venture for us in the city, it has stacks of untapped potential but has become dilapidated over the years.

“The building is right up our street, as we love industrial heritage. We take pride in retaining as much original charm as we possibly can, all the while delivering design-led homes that are a cut above some of the pokey, whitewashed flats you tend to find in our city centres.

“We want to create a real community at Eyewitness, delivering a lasting legacy for Sheffield that the City Council can be proud of. We can’t wait to get started.”

Cllr Mazher Iqbal, Sheffield Council’s cabinet member for business and investment, said: “These are exciting plans for Eye Witness Works from a great and forward-thinking company – it’s going to be exciting to see a new era for one of the city’s most iconic and historic buildings.

“The Devonshire Quarter is a key part of the city and its regeneration is an essential part of the future of the City Centre. Parts of the area around West One and Devonshire Green are already well established but the area around Milton St is currently a bit run down with several vacant sites.

“We have all seen the way Kelham and St Vincent’s are changing at the moment and we want to ensure that the Devonshire Quarter can undergo a similar transformation."