Queensberry Archives - Planning Design Ltd

Prestigious new hotel checks into Sheffield’s City Centre

29th November 202222nd June 2021 by Gary Stringer

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

New website showcases ‘the heart’ of Sheffield City Centre

29th November 20224th November 2020 by Gary Stringer

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.

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

5th December 20222nd June 2020 by Gary Stringer

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