Sheffield City Council has launched a new consultation to help them to understand what people think about working, spending time and living in the city centre.
The consultation will look at resident’s perceptions of the area and ask for suggestions about what changes could be made to make it a more attractive neighbourhood for more people.
The consultation findings will be used to inform a new Central Area Strategy that will form part of the Local Plan, which will guide development in the city until 2038.
Sheffield City Centre is currently undergoing significant regeneration, with major schemes such as Heart of the City II, Transforming Cities Fund and Grey to Green creating an exciting new hub of businesses, shops, restaurants, green spaces and homes in the area.
The proposal for a more residential city centre also focuses on creating lower carbon, efficient buildings served by good public transport links and active travel routes, for example cycle lanes and pedestrianised zones. This approach to ensuring sustainable living and working is an integral part of the Council’s climate emergency declaration and its ambition for the city to become carbon neutral by 2030.
Councillor Bob Johnson, Cabinet Member for Transport and Sustainability at Sheffield City Council said:
“As Sheffield and its economy continue to grow, it is incredibly important that we ensure that the right kind of homes are created for people in our city.
“We are committed to exploring all of the options for creating quality housing choices that meet the needs of the people who live there. Developing more city centre living gives us the potential to maximise the reuse of brownfield sites and maintain our commitment to protecting our greenbelt land wherever possible.
“Nearly 30,000 people already live in our city centre and we want to know what could be done to encourage more people to join them. Please take this opportunity to give us your views on what it’s like to spend time in the centre of Sheffield.”
“City centre living certainly offers benefits in terms of sustainability and we are eager to see an increase in the number of family homes developed in the centre of Sheffield said Michael Bamford, Associate at Planning & Design.
“As we move to a carbon neutral economy we need to look at the bigger picture. How we connect the existing residential areas of the city to the centre will play a vital role in reducing the impact on the environment. City centre living should not be pursued in isolation of a much wider and joined up approach to sustainable living for the Sheffield region as a whole”.
The consultation closes on the 25th March. You can find out more about the consultation and give your opinion by clicking here.
