University of Sheffield Archives - Planning Design Ltd

Changes are afoot at Planning & Design Practice Ltd as we welcome new additions to our team and bid a fond farewell to a founding member. Our team comprises RTPI Chartered town planners, RIBA Chartered Architects, and architectural assistants, plus heritage specialists who together offer a comprehensive range of services, specialising in Town Planning, Architecture, Heritage, and Urban Design.

Continuing a tradition of encouraging and supporting emerging talent, we are pleased to announce the addition to the team of three Graduate Planners – Shaun Hyde, Emily Anderson and Megan Askham, plus a Junior Architectural Technician, Scott Williams to our Architectural team.

Shaun, an avid football fan and originally from The Wirral, studied the 4-year MPlan Course at the University of Sheffield. In the summer before his final year, he undertook a two-week placement with us, during which he was offered a part time position at PDP’s Sheffield office. Now working full time after graduating, Shaun’s next career goal is to gain his RTPI accreditation.

Emily graduated from her Master’s in Urban & Regional Planning at the University of Sheffield in September 2022. Prior to this, she worked part-time for the company alongside her studies. Joining us as a full time Graduate Planner, she is looking forward to expanding on her planning knowledge in the company and has a particular interest in the relationship between Planning and Health and is a keen advocate for community engagement.

Megan initially joined PDP in July 2022 in a part-time capacity, before becoming a full-time member of the team in September 2022. She is a Graduate of the University of Liverpool, obtaining a Geography BA in 2021 and the University of Sheffield having studied Urban and Regional Planning MSc in 2022.

Currently studying in his third year of Architectural Technology and Practice (BSc) at the University of Derby, Scott joined the Planning & Design Practice team in August 2022. He joined us as he works towards his goal of becoming an architect or architectural technologist.

Finally, Jonathan Jenkin, our former Managing Director will be leaving the Practice at the end of the year. Having formed the company in 2002, he has been working for the company in a part time consultancy role for the last 15 months, which has proved to be a good transition period for the company. It has allowed the transfer of skills and experience and Jonathan has been able to work with long term clients to see projects through to completion.

Jonathan and his Civil partner Phil will be moving back to West Cornwall, early next year. Jonathan was a council planning officer there in the 1980s, and that is where they met. They have many friends and family in West Cornwall, and it has been a long-term ambition for them both to move back. Jonathan said:

‘I am really pleased at the way Jon Millhouse, Richard Pigott, Michael Bamford, and Lindsay Cruddas are taking the company forward. The transition has been smooth and it is good to be able to leave the company with the business doing well and I wish everyone continuing success’.

Richard Pigott, who has been with the company since 2011 and a Director since 2015, said ‘we will all miss Jonathan’s bubbly character and enthusiasm for all things planning and architecture, but at the same time, this is a move he has been looking to make for a while and we wish him all the best down in Cornwall. Since we took over the company in the summer of 2021 it has continued to evolve and modernise and we are undertaking some very interesting work in both planning and architecture. We now have contracts with Microsoft, NHS Health Trusts and Clowes Developments, to name a few, as well as many local and regional companies and landowners and the future looks bright.’

Planning & Design Practice Ltd is a team of town planning consultants, architects and heritage specialists. Based in Derbyshire, we are perfectly located to work nationally for our clients. We offer a comprehensive range of services, specialising in Town Planning, Architecture, Heritage and Urban Design. For more information on our team and our services, please contact us on 01332 347371 or email enquiries@planningdesign.co.uk.

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.

Planning & Design welcome new additions

New lease of life for Sheffield’s historic Gaumont Building

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