Container Park Sheffield to be gone from Fargate by end of week after crane moves in 'under cover of darkness'

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Sheffield’s controversial Container Park should be gone from Fargate by the end of the week after a crane moved in to start dismantling the attraction.

This photo, taken at around 8pm on Monday, March 6, was shared on Facebook by John Clarke, with the caption ‘under the cover of darkness’. This morning, there was no crane up and little progress appeared to have been made with work to remove the shipping containers.

A Sheffield Council spokesperson today said: “Removal of the containers on Fargate began this week and should conclude by the end of the week – depending on the weather.” The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for snow this Thursday and Friday, which could hinder efforts to deconstruct the building.

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There were high hopes when plans for the Container Park, made up of eight metal boxes stacked at the top of Fargate, were first announced in the hope that it could help boost footfall and revive the street’s flagging fortunes. But it was beset by delays and spiralling costs, with the proposed bar on the upper deck never opening and the whole venue, which housed a mixture of shops and restaurants, only running for three months in total between late October 2022 and the end of January this year.

A crane at the site of Sheffield's controversial Container Park attraction, at the top of Fargate, which is being dismantled and removed. Photo: John ClarkeA crane at the site of Sheffield's controversial Container Park attraction, at the top of Fargate, which is being dismantled and removed. Photo: John Clarke
A crane at the site of Sheffield's controversial Container Park attraction, at the top of Fargate, which is being dismantled and removed. Photo: John Clarke

The original £300,000 estimate for the project ballooned to £576,000, with the cost of removal alone hitting £95,000.

The Container Park was always due to be a temporary attraction on Fargate but there were plans to move it elsewhere in the city, only for those to be abandoned after it failed to be the success that had been envisaged. The shipping containers are now set to be placed into storage, ready to potentially be used as toilets or catering units in the city’s parks.

They have to be removed from Fargate so work could begin on an £18 million revamp of the street, set to include the installation of new flower beds, seating and street lighting, plus the creation of a new ‘cultural hub’. All but one of the trees on Fargate was recently removed, though the council has pledged to plant 15 new trees there.

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