Rose Garden Cafe Sheffield: Consultation starts on design and use of Graves Park cafe after demolition averted

Campaigners who saved a historic Sheffield cafe from demolition are urging locals to call the shots on designs and usage of the venue ahead of its restoration.

The Rose Garden Cafe in Graves Park will be restored and refurbished thanks to local campaigners who persuaded Sheffield City Council to abandon demolition plans. A recently opened consultation means the public can have their say.

Chris Hallam, the chair of the Rose Garden Cafe Partnership, said: "Your view is very important to us because it will inform the design proposals, future use of the building and help with funding bids."

Friends of Graves Park and the 'Save the Rose Garden Cafe' team spent 15-months pushing for the historic park building to be saved after it closed in July 2022 due to structural concerns.

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After the council agreed to save the building, they formed the Rose Garden Cafe Partnership with the two campaign groups. The Rose Garden Cafe reopened in a takeaway-only format in December 2022.

The partnership has also appointed specialist structural engineers, Alan Wood & Partners, to investigate the problems which led to the cafes closure - the team began this work on Monday, March 18, 2024.

Mr Hallam added: "We know that people are anxious for this to move quickly, however, we need to understand the current structural state of the building.

"We now need as many people in Sheffield as possible to complete the survey, which is now online... paper copies can also be obtained at the cafe and in local libraries with QR codes for easy access to it."

The 'Have Your Say' consultation can be found at: https://haveyoursay.sheffield.gov.uk/rose-garden-cafe

The consultation will run until April 19, 2024, having opened on March 15.