Major Sheffield city centre regeneration aims to create more ‘vibrant, viable and sustainable’ future

Members of Sheffield City Council’s transport, regeneration and climate change committee (February 14) heard about the progress of a range of schemes transforming the city centre, including new plans for “distinct and vibrant” urban neighbourhoods in Furnace Hill and Neepsend.

Moorfoot is set to become “a distinctive and welcoming new central neighbourhood, offering compact contemporary living located atthe heart of Sheffield”.

A new Station Campus centred around the railway station will create more homes and high-end workspaces, councillors were told.

These projects are the next phase of plans to create 20,000 homes, plus the amenities they will need, such as schools, GP surgeries and outdoor spaces. The report to the committee says: “Creating these permanent communities will mean the city centre is more vibrant, more viable and more sustainable.

“Encouraging more people to live here will ensure it is activated, populated and safe by day and night. This new population will help to sustain shops, restaurants, bars and a leisure offer, which can then be accessed by, and create jobs for, the wider city.”

Investors

The committee heard that the latest phase of the giant Heart of the City scheme is almost complete.

In total, 44 per cent of the floorspace is now let, with a further eight per cent almost agreed. The new 154-bed Radisson Blu hotel on Pinstone Street opposite the town hall adds a further 14 per cent of floor space to the total. The hotel is due to be completed by the end of this year.

The 52 new flats in Burgess House on Cross Burgess Street have been sold to owner-occupiers and the council banned their sale to investors. Private development Kangaroo Works on Trafalgar Street has been completed, adding 365 “high-quality rental apartments”.

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The scheme’s final phase includes Bethel Chapel on Cambridge Street being turned into a music venue and neighbouring Henry’s Wine Bar becoming a food hall and restaurant. Leah’s Yard is set to open as an independent business and maker’s space, with popular city artist Pete McKee already announced as the first occupant.

The former Gaumont building on Barkers Pool will become a leisure and culture venue.

Plans for the Devonshire Quarter are also progressing and include 97 new homes in the converted Grade II-listed Eyewitness and Ceylon Works, which are set to be fully occupied by December. There are also plans in place to build around 470 new homes plus retail and commercial outlets on Bank Park car park on Milton Street and the old Stokes Tiles warehouse.

Pressures

Changes to the Fargate area, bankrolled in part by the government Future High Streets Fund, include the six-storey Event Central entertainment venue, which is now not expected to open until early in 2026 after progress was hit by cost pressures. Extra funding includes £5m from the council and up to £11.9m from the South Yorkshire mayoral authority.

Pre-construction work is taking place now, with contractors expected on site next January after current work to improve the look of Fargate is finished.

Other changes include conversions of top-floor spaces in and around Fargate for businesses, start-ups and homes, plus the new look for Orchard Square.

Another major development is West Bar Square, which will help to link Kelham Island to the city centre. The report to the committee states: “The development is over seven acres of and over £300 million of investment that will provide almost 1m sq ft of new space in a vibrant mixed-use environment.

“When completed, in addition to offices, it will also contain retail, leisure, hotel and living space and transport hub.”

The company Legal and General is a major investor, currently spending £160m with another £300m expected for phase two.

Exciting

Construction of two blocks of 368 apartments is expected to be completed by December. The first of five office blocks is set to open this summer.

Councillors also got updates on other big projects already announced at Castlegate, Attercliffe, Stocksbridge and Parkwood Springs.

Committee chair Coun Ben Miskell said: “We know that we have many exciting regeneration projects across our city and this is an exciting report that talks through the whole regeneration project and brings it together.

“Sometimes we can see it as isolated schemes that are happening, but we know that a huge amount of work is going on to make sure that Sheffield is a city on the up and drive forward these projects that deliver, both for the city centre and communities across our city.”

Coun Denise Fox asked if there are going to be improvements to public transport to link up with all the new schemes.

She said: “We need those links and at the moment we haven’t got them. It would be catastrophic if we didn’t look at that and see what’s being proposed.”

Ambitious

Coun Miskell responded: “We are bringing forward a transport vision document which is really ambitious with delivering public transport and transport more broadly for Sheffield.” He said that would be discussed by the committee in March.

He said that the council is also working with the mayoral authority on expanding the tram network, using rail lines to create a Don Valley line to Stocksbridge and Barrow Hill, travelling through south-east Sheffield and possibly to Chesterfield.

She also asked if there was a need for all the new office space, especially as a lot of people are now working from home.

Alan Seasman, council interim head of regeneration, responded that the interest in high-end office space at developments such as West Bar is “really strong” and is back to pre-Covid levels.

Coun Ruth Mersereau raised the issue of public toilet facilities as she said that could put people off visiting the city centre, particularly if they are reluctant to ask to use toilets in bars or cafes.

Coun Miskell said that the issue was being considered and added that providing toilets at the new city centre Pounds Park had proved popular.

Coun Christine Gilligan Kubo commented: “I think the public needs to know when things will be finished because it irritates them They just talk about all these cranes and it’s happening and we don’t know when it’s going to finish.

“I wasn’t aware we had the end of 2024 for Fargate so now I’m aware and that’s really good, and I just think we need to try and bring the public with us, tell them what we’re doing and when they might expect to see things.”