New Sheffield city centre development will be as "dramatic and as loved as Winter Garden"

Councillors unanimously approved the latest Heart of the City 2 scheme which will see a communal hall, shops, cafe, bar plus flexible space for events, studios and businesses created on Cambridge Street, Wellington Street and Backfields.

The site lies within the city centre conservation area and includes the former Albert Works, the former George Binns outfitters, Bethel Chapel and former Sunday School, Sheffield Arts Centre, DINA, Henry’s Corner, Henry’s Two and Brew House.

The Bethel Sunday School is grade 2 listed and nearby is the grade 2* listed Leah’s Yard and the grade 2 listed St Matthew’s Parish Church.

Cambridge Street was once Coalpit Lane, an ancient route in and out of Sheffield, and was the centre ofhe trade in materials for knife handles.

Leah's Yard started life as the Coalpit Lane Horn Works and bone fragments were often found when digging the street surface.

Robin Hughes of Hallamshire Historic Buildings gave the planning committee and insight into the site's heritage.

"Its buildings tell 130 years of Sheffield's history. Cities will only prosper if they understand the economics of uniqueness.

"It is the individual character of a place with its own story to tell that will bring new residents, visitors, students and investors. For much of the last 20 years, the proposal has been to forget that story, and tear down the buildings of this ancient street. Now they are seen as assets, to be repurposed."

Mr Hughes said the development would make Sheffield an even more desirable destination.

"The proposed communal hall has the potential to become as dramatic and well-loved a space as the Winter Garden.

"I shall be sorry to lose the last surviving fragment of Albert Works, built in 1891. Before then, its mysterious undated stone bearing the Cutlers' arms and the initials LJS was displayed for several decades on Linley's sheep shear works, on the same site.

"It has probably been in more or less the same position for around 300 years, and it is only right that it will be preserved there.

"We will keep the Bethel Primitive Methodist chapel, built in 1835 in a heroic act of faith and determination by a small and poor congregation who saved money by doing much of the demolition and brick dressing themselves.

"Their Sunday School attendance soon reached 500, so they built a new one next door in 1852. Both buildings will be given new lives thanks to this development.

"Something will also survive of DINA, probably the oldest building, which by 1837 was occupied by William Wild, a dealer in ivory, shell, horn, tip and bone.

"New purposes will also be found for the fine industrial buildings on Wellington Street, and the splendid facade we now know as Henry's. This was built in the early 1900s as the new Barleycorn Tavern."

Mr Hughes also relayed the story of a no nonsense landlord. "In the 1920s the landlord was Gus Platts, British and European middleweight boxing champion.

"An incident took place here in 1924 involving the notorious Sheffield gangs, which led to Platts giving evidence at the trial of one of their members and subsequently warning members of both gangs to stay away, being one of very few people in Sheffield who would have felt able to do so."