The changing face of Sheffield - how city centre could look after £21 million scheme

South Yorkshire’s Mayor Oliver Coppard and other local leaders have approved £21 million of investment into the Connecting Sheffield: City Centre project.

The project is set to provide more space for people in the centre, and will allow businesses to use more outdoor space for people to shop, eat and spend time, subject to licences.

It is part of the drive by the council to boost the city centre.

Councillor Ben Miskell, chair of the Transport, Regeneration and Climate Policy committee, said: “Sheffield is changing. It’s transforming into an incredible city offering something for everyone whether you’re a resident here or visiting from further afield.

“Our Connecting Sheffield: City Centre project links up all the key areas in the city centre. From the Heart of the City’s great shops, services, dining, and entertainment to our fantastic shopping experience at The Moor and the new Fargate project as it nears completion.”

Connecting Sheffield is a long-term programme of improvements, aiming to transform the transport infrastructure that people use to get around the whole city.

This funding, specifically for the city centre part of the project, will help Sheffield City Council deliver the project, improve public spaces and connect key developments.

It will provide new, connected walking, wheeling (using wheelchairs, pushchairs and mobility scooters) and cycling routes in the city centre which, coupled with changes to make bus journeys more reliable, will give people more choice in how they travel.

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Coun Miskell added: “By giving you more space in the city centre, and more choice in how you travel, we can reduce congestion on the roads to make bus journeys more reliable.

“The changes we’ve already made to improve reliability of bus journeys mean the Connecting Sheffield: City Centre project will make travelling into the city centre by bus an even more realistic option too.”

The bus shelters have already been removed on direct routes through the centre, creating more space on Pinstone Street and Leopold Street and connecting the key developments, the council says (October 10).

The scheme proposals will also create new green streets with “high-quality planting and landscaping”, and sustainable urban drainage to slow the flow of water and reduce the risk of flooding.

Oliver Coppard, South Yorkshire’s Mayor, said: “Building a healthier, wealthier and happier South Yorkshire is central to my ambition as South Yorkshire’s Mayor.

“This important city centre project will not just give us greater freedom and choice about how we travel and move, but will also support our plans to make South Yorkshire the healthiest region in the country.

“It is part of the steps we are taking across our region to build new walking and cycling routes over the next three years - creating better places and more opportunities for us all to move more and move differently.”

Funding was approved by the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) Board on October 8, and forms part of South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority’s £166 million Transforming Cities Fund investment across the county.

Construction is due to start on Connecting Sheffield: City Centre in January 2025.

The Traffic Regulation Orders to make the required changes to roads are being advertised until tomorrow (October 17).

To view the orders and comment, visit www.sheffield.gov.uk/roads-pavements/traffic-orders

You can find more information on the project via Have Your Say Sheffield at https://haveyoursay.sheffield.gov.uk/connecting-sheffield-city-centre