Officials call out Sheffield business over painting over Jarvis Cocker and Pulp mural

The mural, depicting the singer Jarvis Cocker and carrying the words Still Common, had been painted on the site of the Royal Standard pub.

But it was painted over last year as part of a range of changes made to the former pub building, on St Mary’s Road, near Highfield, when it became the Harlem House take away restaurant.

The big, colourful mural which replaced depicted scenes from the Harlem district of New York, after which the changed venue had been named.

However, work to change the former pub into the restaurant was done without planning permission - and Sheffield Council has now rejected the planning application and told its planning department it can brief its lawyers over reversing changes made to the building. It is not know if this would include reversing the mural.

A report into the planning application which was drawn up by the council, raised specific concerns about the removal of a work with close associations with Sheffield, and its replacement by a work with no connection to the city.

It stated: “The Mural is a significant addition to the side/rear elevation of the building. Its principal aim is to advertise the business although it is a piece of street art.

“It is unfortunate that the locally relevant graffiti ‘Still Common’ has been lost. It would have been good if this replacement art could have taken on a more Sheffield centric theme, with a celebration of Sheffield incorporated into the mural, especially given its prominent location.

“Notwithstanding, the mural adds vibrancy to the streetscene and in this regard would not warrant refusal on its own. As set out in the proposal section of this report, the applicant has also placed a lighting bar on this mural to light up the words ‘Harlem House’.

“It is not clear what illumination level this provides and it would require consent.”

The famous ‘Still Common’ mural was one of two similar works in the city created by the Sheffield artist Bubba 2000, real name Jonathan Matthewson III.

The other, surviving, mural is on Snuff Mill Lane, next to Ecclesall Road.

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Pulp were formed in Sheffield by Jarvis Cocker in the 1980s, and become one of the biggest names in 1990s ‘Britpop’, with hit songs including Common People.

When the St Mary’s Road mural was painted over last year, reaction on The Star’s Facebook page was mixed.

Steve Platts said: “Because as if the ‘Still Common’ art couldn’t have been incorporated into yet another bland and utterly pointless mural. This city is obsessed with getting rid of its cultural heritage. It’s a disgrace.

But Nik Seth said: “I was upset by this originally, but figured that not all street art can be preserved forever. And figured that they haven't just carelessly whitewashed over it, but are trying to replace it with something fresh.”