Fargate: Experts unveil vision for once premium Sheffield street that lost its retail crown

Property and planning experts have set out a vision for a premium street in Sheffield after it lost its retail crown.

The Moor and Heart of the City are now Sheffield's shopping areas, according to Andrew Davison, project director at developer Queensberry. Fargate should aim to be a ‘street of culture’ with coffee shops and bespoke restaurants, he said.

Mr Davison commented after The Star revealed HSBC is closing its flagship office and moving to The Moor.

Queensberry is the developer for Sheffield City Council’s £480m taxpayer-funded Heart of the City II development centred on Cambridge Street.

Mr Davison wrote: "Fargate is going through positive change and needs to be more residential, smaller offices with ground floor activation of coffee shops and bespoke restaurants to create a street of culture like many in Europe. This will then kick-start the rebuild of the old Next. 

"The Moor and Heart of the City are now the retail areas of Sheffield. Banks were never going to continue trading as shops in the future, it’s all online or over the phone."

Metro Bank, Santander and Virgin Money all told The Star they had no plans to leave Fargate. But the pedestrianised street has a string of prominent vacancies. The former Next on the corner with Norfolk Row is a hole in the ground after a rebuild project stalled.

James Alger, director, head of real estate (Sheffield) at BRM Solicitors, said the HSBC building could make a good restaurant and bar.

He commented: "Looks a great old building for a restaurant/bar set up and whilst many may scoff at supply/demand for more leisure there has to be an element of ‘build it and they will come’ especially with the local plan seeking more high quality city living offerings."

Two doors away, Yorkshire Bank closed its branch in a heritage building in October 2020. It has been ‘to let’ since.

Sheffield architect Matt Bowker, of CODA Studios, agreed with Mr Davison.

He said: "Fargate needs repositioning towards more leisure, food and beverage, local retail, culture, and residential. What’s in the floors above the HSBC unit? Looks like they could be fantastic apartments but the windows are just blanked out like on so many similar buildings on Fargate and other high streets like it across the country. What a wasted opportunity."

Fargate is undergoing a revamp by contractors Sisk using cash from the Future High Streets Fund. The city council bought the former Clintons card shop on Fargate with plans to turn it into a major culture hub Event Central. It advertised for a contractor for the £7m project in June. The money must be spent by March next year.

Marks and Spencer on Fargate is one of two remaining anchor retailers in the city centre following the closure of John Lewis and Debenhams. A Tesco Express opened on Fargate late last year. And an application has been submitted for an adult gambling centre at 9 Fargate next to Caffe Nero.

Meanwhile, plans for a Burker King in the former Pret a Manger unit at the bottom of Fargate have gone quiet after concerns were raised about a cluster of fast food outlets in the area including McDonald's, Wendy's and German Doner Kebab.

Plans have been approved for 58 flats in the upper floors of Central Buildings on the corner of Fargate and Church Street.