Prestigious new hotel checks into Sheffield’s City Centre

PDP_Sheffield 2021

Just a short walk from our Sheffield office, a new 154-bedroom hotel has been granted permission in Sheffield’s City Centre. The development is being delivered jointly by Sheffield City Council and its strategic development partner Queensbury, with construction firm McLaughlin & Harvey working on the construction. The hotel will form a new addition to the international hotel group Radisson Blu.

The development is to be situated on Pinstone Street, opposite the Sheffield Peace Garden’s and behind the Victorian facades of City Mews and Palatine Chambers. To the rear is Barker’s Pool House which is scheduled for a phased demolition and will be replaced with a new complimentary building, which will house most of the new hotel’s bedrooms.

The design statement produced by HLM architects shows that the material palette for the Hotel’s front facing elevation will look to compliment the retained Victorian facade, with the colour-preserved, copper mansard roof mirroring the red brick.

The plans also show that at the front end of the hotel, ground-floor restaurant and retail units will be included. As well as a courtyard space between the two buildings. A rooftop bar and terrace are also part of the plans, which will provide views over the Peace Gardens. The new hotel forms a key part of Sheffield City Council’s Heart of the City Programme, which is intended to help promote the Sheffield an attractive destination for business and leisure.

The decline of the Highstreet has been exacerbated by the global pandemic, which heightens the need for the Council to deliver good-quality development that will encourage people into the city centre and aid the city’s post-pandemic economic recovery.

However, the development has faced some criticism from members of the public who had expressed concern about the removal of public art murals, including a frieze created by William Mitchell, which was felt to be an important part of Sheffield’s culture and history. The Council has since committed to reinstalling the piece in a public place, as part of the Heart of the City II scheme. The entire hotel development is expected to be complete by Summer 2023.

With an office at The Workstation we have a close connection with Sheffield with numerous clients and projects in the region. Please get in touch for advice on any planning issues or potential projects.

Main Image: Sheffield City Council

Sheffield 2021 and beyond – Post Covid developments

PDP_Sheffield 2021

To say that the Covid pandemic caused uncertainty and unprecedented disruption is an understatement. However, the signs are good that 2021 will see ambitious projects come forward to transform the Sheffield skyline, which may see developers reusing and repurposing existing buildings as well as creating new landmarks for the city of Steel.

The planned extension of the Meadowhall shopping centre is set to continue, albeit in a revised form in response to the pandemic and the ever-increasing dominance of online retail. Part of a series of measures submitted by British Land to grow and reposition the centre, the amended proposal is smaller than the £300m extension approved in 2018 but will still see the creation of a £150m Leisure Hall on part of the red and yellow car parks, featuring new shops and a ’new, aspirational food and drink offer’ that has been estimated could support up to 1,560 jobs new jobs.

Sheffield City Council have approved plans to build a 39-storey skyscraper on High Street, in the Castlegate area. The former Primark store will be demolished to make way for the 206-apartment block named Kings Tower.

Builders have also broken ground on the £20million Vista project, near the bus station in the city centre. Vista will be a 16-storey building with 241 beds, which will expand the city’s existing student accommodation.

Speaking of students, construction of a £65m Sheffield University building which had to be torn down due to defective foundations is set to recommence. BAM said ‘deconstruction’ and re-piling of the social sciences building, were finished – subject to checks – and work would commence ‘shortly’.

Heart of the City II, Sheffield City Council’s flagship project to deliver a long-awaited commercial, leisure, retail and residential focal point to the city centre is also making progress. Construction continues on Block ‘B’ Burgess House and Athol House and Block ‘C’ Isaacs House on Pinstone Street.
Proposals to introduce upmarket hotelier Radisson Blu have also been approved by the Local Planning Authority, which is proposed to be located off Palatine Chambers on Pinstone Street.

A trio of social enterprises have submitted a £350,000 bid to revamp the historic Leah’s Yard, within the £480m Heart of the City II scheme. The council says it wants to maintain the site’s ‘unique Sheffield character’ and provide a new ‘maker’ space.

Elsewhere Sheffield University’s four-storey new home for its Faculty of Social Sciences is under construction on the edge of Broomhill, and the striking red frame of the former Embrace nightclub is set to be replaced by a ‘playful reinterpretation’ of its former incarnation, the Regent Theatre.

The new owner of Sheffield’s Old Town Hall, Developer Efe Omu has permission to convert the 212 year old listed building into apartments, a hotel and a market. Built in 1808, the landmark building has had five extensions and was also used as a court for many years, before closing in 1996.

The former HSBC site on Tenter Street, comprising five big buildings, are now collectively called Pennine Five. Acquired by RBH for £18m, they have announced £30m plans to turn it into a new ‘commercial campus’.

In the summer of 2020 Godwin Developments announced plans for a block of flats near Sheffield station – kickstarting the city’s biggest ever regeneration project. Intended as the first piece in a hugely ambitious £1.5bn project to redevelop the Sheaf Valley area and announced by Sheffield Council in March, it would see the closure of Park Square roundabout. Sheaf Street – the dual carriageway that runs in front of the station – would swap places with the tram route that runs behind. A new pedestrian bridge would link Park Hill with Howard Street and the multi-storey car park on Turner Street would be demolished and relocated. Up to 12 office blocks are planned, employing up to 3,000 people. In addition up to 1,000 flats and houses could also be built, with the area around Queens Road designated a new residential centre called ‘Sheaf Gardens’.

With an office at The Workstation we have a close connection with Sheffield with numerous clients and projects in the region. Please get in touch for advice on any planning issues or potential projects.

Main Image : Heart of the City II

Planning Design – ‘A new normal’

PDP_Steel City, New Normal

Writing for Sheffield Chamber of Commerce, a year on from the opening of our Sheffield office, Michael Bamford, Director at Planning Design reflects on adapting and prospering under “A New Normal” following the unprecedented upheaval caused by Covid-19.

In October 2019 we moved into our new office in the Workstation and were excited for what was a new chapter for Planning Design. Back then we thought the issues facing the South Yorkshire region were meeting the challenges of Climate Change and Brexit. We, like many businesses were apprehensive about the impact Brexit might have on business as usual but didn’t spot the more acute issue on the horizon. Covid-19 only really floated onto the radar in January and it wasn’t clear how significant a challenge it would be until March. At the time we were quietly optimistic about the signs of growth in Sheffield and excited at the opportunity to continue to be involved in realising potential for the city.

It was late March when true impact of Covid-19 hit home as the national lock down was rolled out. Working from home became the new norm, the majority of the planning system ground to a halt whilst Council’s and the Government grappled with operating a system that was reliant on a central office suddenly being required to work entirely remotely. Planning applications, appeals, committee meetings, pre-apps all stalled and for a short time it was difficult to see how things would move forwards.

Gradually the country (and the world) adjusted to lockdown and a new normality prevailed. Never has access to the internet been so vital in connecting communities and allowing work to continue. Video calls have become an engrained part of our society and paved the way for a new way of working. Slow at first to respond to the challenges of COVID-19, work towards the Sheffield Local Plan is now well and truly up and running and areas such as Doncaster have excelled in adapting to the challenges and motoring on with the adoption of the Local Plan.

The construction and property market was temporarily put on hold causing a backlog of demand which only served to accelerate the growth when it was released. Something that has been felt across the world. Many countries including the U.K. have seen significant growth in the price of property. The importance of space standards, natural light and access to public open space has been felt much more acutely, fast forwarding the adoption of policies and legislation to provide better homes. Significant changes to existing permitted development rights and the creation of new ones all striving to provide more homes of a much higher quality. As has been common to a lot of crises, the Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated change across the board, and both planning and architecture are no different. In some areas the changes have been very difficult, and time will tell what long-term impact the pandemic will have on our lives.

One aspect the pandemic has highlighted is the importance of communities and how, when faced with challenges, people come together to adapt and remodel how normal society functions.

It is refreshing to see the how Sheffield as a Council are adapting and how Heart of the City is pushing ahead despite the adversity of the past 9 months. The view from the office window has changed over the past 12 months with ‘The Gate’ a new student accommodation tower nearing completion as well as the new HSBC building and the sheer number of cranes on the Sheffield skyline. It is all a clear sign of the optimism and investment people place in the city.
We have continued to work closely with both the Sheffield Chamber of Commerce and the University of Sheffield to provide opportunity for employment and work experience within the city and welcome the support of both institutions in helping to deliver positive change across the region. As a company we have seen positive growth over the year and look forward to embarking on chapter two of “A new normal”.

Michael Bamford, Director, Planning & Design Practice Ltd

New website showcases ‘the heart’ of Sheffield City Centre

PDP_Sheffield Heart of the City

Sheffield – like many other cities in England – is working hard to try and protect the viability of city centres by proposing new development and regeneration. ‘The Heart of the City’ project, first announced in 2004, was introduced to masterplan the city centre and bring about redevelopment to areas that were experiencing declining footfall. The plans have been long awaited, having stalled due to recession in 2008, but some of Sheffield City Council’s ideas have finally come to fruition.

Redevelopment is now visibly taking place in Sheffield as The Moor boasts an open space with a range of shops on offer with more in the works from Sheffield City Council and its development partner, Queensberry. Queensberry have recently sought planning consent to change the exterior facade of the historic Gaumont building and neighbouring buildings to improve the Barkers Pool area as part of the ‘Heart of the City II’ Masterplan.

As progress continues, the Heart of the City II Masterplan has released a new website to showcase the redevelopment plans that will come forward in Sheffield, giving direction to residents and businesses.

The website details their design principles which focus on mixed use spaces in which businesses can operate and people can live in. Within this, outdoor spaces and public spaces will be enhanced to showcase the green city. This will enable people to access work, services, restaurants and outdoor opportunities with minimal need to travel outside of the city centre.

Included in the website are further details of forthcoming phases including “The Chapel” live music venue, Wellington Works and The Combhouse as part of Phase 3 (formerly Block H of the plan) and Pound’s Park, Carlisle House and Stirrings Place which will constitute Phase 4 (was Block G of the plan).

With an office at The Workstation we have a close connection with Sheffield with numerous clients in the region. Please get in touch for advice on any planning issues or potential projects.

New lease of life for Sheffield’s historic Gaumont Building

PDP_Gaumont Building Sheffield

As Sheffield City Council press ahead with plans to improve the city centre, an application has been sought to improve the Gaumont building, situated in Barkers Pool. The site was promoted by the Council earlier this year and local developers Hallam Land Management have proposed a new look for the central landmark.

The Gaumont building formerly operated as a theatre dating back to 1927 when it was known as Regent Theatre, which was latterly rebranded the Gaumont Theatre. The theatre was demolished in 1985 and rebuilt for retail, offices and an Odeon Cinema across 4 storeys. In 1994, the cinema was replaced by a nightclub and has been home to ‘Embrace’ and ‘Area’. Currently, the site has retail and café functions on the ground floor level, home to well known chain ‘Patisserie Valerie’ and homewares store ‘Stone The Crows’ amongst others.

The site is centrally located in Barkers Pool overlooking the public square which is shared by John Lewis & Partners and the City Hall and is in close proximity to the Town Hall and the Peace Gardens, situated to the east of this site. The Gaumont building forms one of the principle walking routes into the central shopping area from the University of Sheffield and is well connected to Fargate shopping high street and the recently regenerated Moor shopping area.

The site was included in the Council’s plans to regenerate the centre into ‘Sevenstone Retail Quarter’ in 2005, including Pinstone Street and Barkers Pool, and an application was sought to replace the building. Unfortunately, plans halted due to the Financial Crash in 2008 and plans were resubmitted in 2011 and 2015 but were withdrawn.

After the successful regeneration of the Moor area, the recent application for the Gaumont building appears promising for redevelopment. The new proposal intends to retain the internal structure of the building but alter the exterior to modernise the façade with a larger public entrance into leisure space to improve the accessibility of the building at street level and make the building more useable.

The plans include ground floor retail uses and leisure spaces. The upper floors will be designed as flexible spaces that can accommodate a wide range of uses to ensure the Gaumont building is adaptable for the future. The design has made use of recesses which has been inspired by the previous appearance of the building as the Regent Cinema alongside living green walls to promote an environmentally sustainable design.

The plans have come forward alongside another application to redevelop the frontages on Pinstone Street and Burgess Street which include mixed uses of a hotel, retail space and restaurants as part of the Heart of the City II Masterplan. If redevelopment commences for the associated plans, the new Gaumont frontage would complement the improved streetscape.

Overall, the application signals redevelopment progress in Sheffield City Centre in a location which has been in the pipeline for some time. As regeneration has already taken place on the Moor, the city centre has become a more pleasant and active place to be. The Gaumont design re-imagines the building to improve the user experience at street level, making Barkers Pool a more interactive and contemporary space. The proposition for adaptable internal space acknowledges the uncertainty generated by reduced city centre footfall as the popularity of online shopping and banking has reduced the demand for high street units, suggesting that the Gaumont building might welcome more varied uses in the future. This suggests that the proposal could be more sustainable in the long-term in providing vitality in the city centre and preventing vacant units, especially as reforms to permitted development legislation is expanding the uses available through conversion.

We have a close connection with Sheffield with numerous clients in the region. Please get in touch for advice on any planning issues or potential projects.

Main Image: An artist’s impression of the new design for the Gaumont Building – Sheffield City Council.

Sheffield moves to next phase of Heart of the City II scheme

PDP_Sheffield Heart of City

Planning applications for the next phase of the Heart of the City II scheme, which include a cultural destination and a new low carbon office building, have been submitted by Sheffield City Council recently (May 2020). The announcement marks another milestone for Sheffield’s landmark regeneration project, as it continues to transform the city centre.

As we continue to face the daily challenges of the current pandemic it is encouraging to see work to transform Sheffield city centre is still in progress and that all will be ready to make way for life after the pandemic.

Block H, located between Wellington Street, Carver Street and Cambridge Street, sits at the centre of the Heart of the City II masterplan and includes some of the most interesting heritage buildings.

The strategy for the block is to create a new ‘cultural heart’ for the scheme, which will combine existing and new architecture to provide a destination which is uniquely Sheffield. The proposals have been designed by award-winning architects Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios.

Proposals for Cambridge Street Collective – which will sit behind Henry’s Corner and Bethel Sunday School on Cambridge Street – include a large, industrial-style space where people will be able to meet to eat, drink and be entertained. The historic building fronts will be retained and adapted to bring them back into use, with a new structure added behind which will complement the older architecture.

Wrapping this space will be complementary shops, a bar and restaurant, and an upper level leisure space. The existing Bethel Chapel building will also be renovated, with plans for this to become a live entertainment venue.

Next to Cambridge Street Collective, a visually striking low-carbon office building is proposed for the vacant site in between Cambridge Street and Carver Street. The new premises will provide approximately 70,000 sq. ft of Grade A office space over seven floors, with shops, restaurants or cafés at the ground floor. The building’s dark coloured metal finish is inspired by Sheffield’s celebrated industrial past, allowing it to complement heritage assets across the Block H site.

Councillor Mazher Iqbal, Cabinet Member for Business and Investment at Sheffield City Council, said:

“I am delighted that we have been able to progress these plans over recent months and can now submit planning applications for the next phase of Heart of the City II.

“The submission of the planning applications follows over six weeks of public consultation, where local residents, businesses and interest groups participated and shared their thoughts. The comments and insights we received have helped us to further shape these proposals, and I would like to personally thank all who provided their views.

“There’s no doubt that these are unsettling times for all of us, including many city centre businesses. Whilst it is critical for us to help our businesses with immediate challenges, it is also vital that we continue to build a strong and resilient city centre that is fit for the future. The delivery of Heart of the City II is central to those efforts.”

Andrew Davison, Project Director at Queensberry, commented:

“The plans for Block H epitomise our ambition to create places with character and personality that will bring something entirely unique to Sheffield city centre. Cambridge Street Collective promises to become a destination that both locals and visitors will cherish and enjoy, and we are very excited about bringing this vision to life.”

Planning & Design Practice which has a close connection with Sheffield, welcomes this news. Having long maintained an office in the city and with numerous clients and projects in the region, we are based at The Workstation, Sheffield’s leading business centre for creative talent and innovation in the heart of the city’s thriving Cultural Industries Quarter. Our Sheffield office is led by Michael Bamford, a chartered town planning consultant.

Michael said:

‘It’s great to see progress on the next phase of Heart of the City II. The plans retain the city’s heritage, but re-purpose and re-invigorate an area which has historically declined. The proposals will complement the great work that has already been completed around Heart of the City I and II and which be transformative for the city centre.”

Please contact Michael if you require assistance with planning applications, appeals or local plan representations or require advice on lawful development certificates or development appraisals, at michael.bamford@planningdesign.co.uk

Main image: Artist impression of the bar terrace in Block H

Images – with thanks to Sheffield City Council

Heart of the City
Block H Cambridge Street
Heart of the City
Block H Bar Terrace View
Heart of the City
Heart of the City II – H2

Cultural heart planned in Sheffield city centre regeneration

PDP_Sheffield Cultural Heart

A significant amount of heritage will be retained as part of the creation of a new ‘cultural heart’ for the city centre in the recently unveiled plans for Sheffield City Council’s Heart of the City II development.

Block H, which is located on the site between Wellington Street, Carver Street and Cambridge Street, will provide a wide-ranging development split into three distinct elements (H1, H2 and H3). A period of public consultation on H2 and H3 began on Thursday 12 March, ahead of a planning submission later this Spring.

H2 will be a brand-new building offering approximately 70,000 sq ft of Grade A office space, split across seven upper floors and boasting an impressive south facing roof terrace, with retail and food and beverage units on the ground floor.

Taking inspiration from Sheffield’s celebrated industrial past, H2 will be a visually striking, dark-coloured metal building designed to minimise operational energy, emitting around 40% less carbon than a typical Building Regulations compliant design. This efficiency will also continue to improve as the embodied carbon in the electricity grid reduces.

In contrast, the development for H3 (to be known as Cambridge Street Collective) will be aiming to retain as much of the quality, existing fabric and façades along Cambridge Street and Wellington Street as feasible – helping to attractively balance the old and new across the site.

Proposals for Cambridge Street Collective include a large, industrial-style space, which would be perfectly suited to a food hall or similar sociable, communal offer. Wrapping this space would be complementary shops, a bar and restaurant, and an upper level leisure space. The existing Bethel Chapel building will also be renovated, with plans for this to become a live entertainment venue.

Although not part of this planning application, the site is also home to Leah’s Yard (H1) – a Grade II* Listed building housing a collection of small former industrial workshops. Plans are still at an early stage, however there is a real desire from the project team to maintain the building’s unique Sheffield character by providing similar workshops for the city’s next creative generation. In the meantime, Listed Building Consent is being sought to undertake the structural works required to make the buildings secure.

Councillor Mazher Iqbal, Cabinet Member for Business and Investment at Sheffield City Council, explained the vision:

“We will be retaining a lot of attractive heritage across the Heart of the City II site, while also ensuring we create new spaces that are sustainable to the local economy.

“With some of the most interesting architecture in the city centre, Block H was always going to be one of the most rewarding blocks in the masterplan. We truly believe that these new plans will help provide a cultural heart and social anchor to the scheme.”

In a bid to ensure a viable and attractive development – one that also respects the heritage assets on the Block H site, Sheffield City Council and its Strategic Development Partner, Queensberry, have been working closely with heritage interest groups in the city. They have been discussing design and usage ideas.

The emerging proposals for this block now showcase the retention of far more original architecture than envisaged in the 2018 masterplan. Plans now include the preservation and sympathetic restoration of the quality fabric and façades along Cambridge Street and Wellington Street, including the listed Bethel Sunday School and Leah’s Yard, as well as the Bethel Chapel and the buildings that formerly housed Brewhouse and Henry’s. The historic buildings fronting these streets will be kept with internal adaptations and reconstruction carried out where necessary to bring them back into use.

Nick Roscoe of Hallamshire Historic Buildings, said:

“Sheffield City Council should be commended for taking this enlightened and forward-thinking approach to the interesting range of buildings that we can see on Cambridge Street and Wellington Street today.

“They have brought in first class architects and consulted carefully with stakeholders to make the most of these precious heritage assets. This is a project to be proud of and an approach we hope to see followed again.”

The Block H site occupies a prime location in the wider Heart of the City II scheme. Directly linking to the attractive new public spaces of Charter Square and upcoming Five Ways, it will sit comfortably alongside Grosvenor House and Isaacs Building.

Public consultation for H2 and H3 runs 12 March-7 April, with public drop-in sessions, at the former Clicks and Mortar shop on Pinstone Street, taking place on 25 March (15:30-19:00) and 26 March (11:00-16:00).

Sheffield City Council – Living in the City

PDP_Sheffield City Living

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.

Yorkshire’s tallest building coming to Sheffield?

PDP_Sheffield Tallest Building

Sheffield city centre could soon be the location of Yorkshire’s tallest building after an ambitious, £100m planning application was submitted by CODE Co-Living.

Plans have been put forward to build a development comprising three buildings, one of 12 storeys, a second of 16 storeys, and the third, the tallest reaching 36 storeys.

At almost 117 metres tall, the main tower would be higher than a 114-metre tall student scheme currently under construction in Leeds – which is currently set to be the county’s tallest – and would be a full 16 metres higher than Sheffield’s current title holder, City Lofts Tower, which stands at 101 metres.

The scheme would be on a prominent site to the side of the Vita building, just off Charter Row and close to The Light Cinema complex. The land was previously occupied by South Yorkshire Housing and a Dexel car repair yard.

CODE says the development would improve the environment of a neglected corner of the city centre and deliver a huge injection of vibrancy and activity to Charter Square, The Moor and Heart of the City II.

The proposed co-living scheme would provide 1,370 private studio apartments for rent, available for both students and non-students.

Communal spaces would also be incorporated, including dining and café facilities, a 50-piece gymnasium, cinema room, private study spaces and a large first floor south-facing outdoor roof terrace. There will also be a 24-hour concierge on site.

CODE has committed to providing 10 per cent of the apartments as affordable housing, with tenants having equal access to all the facilities within the development.

Jonathan Jenkin, Managing Director of Planning & Design, who have just opened a new office based at the Workstation in Sheffield said

“We support the construction of new tall buildings in Sheffield as they show the city’s ambition and its drive to support appropriate development. A tall iconic building creates a buzz and it also helps to frame the debate of what is possible. Building in the city centre also put less pressure for edge of city development and protects the green belt.”

It is hoped that the planning application will be decided before Christmas. If approved, CODE hopes to be on site in spring 2020.

Jamie Lewis, of CODE, said: “We have been looking for a site in Sheffield for several years. From the outside, it is clear that the city is going places with Heart of the City II and developments on The Moor transforming the city centre. We want to be a part of this.”

Image: CODE

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