I share your positivity about Heart of the City. However, there's an important bit of the story that you missed. Round about the time Nalin Seneviratne was having his thoughts about a different approach to that of the ill-fated New Retail Quarter, a colleague of mine at Hallamshire Historic Buildings, frustrated by decades of Council-led slash-and-burn projects, asked to meet him to discuss how this time it could be different. To Nalin's enormous credit, he agreed. Soon after, the newly-formed Joined Up Heritage Sheffield had a similar idea, and again, Nalin was prepared not only to meet but also to listen, and then to set up meetings with the Council's partners. If you look back at the 2018 Heart of the City II Masterplan, some parts look very different - and much less heritage-friendly - to what is now being delivered. It was the first time within my memory that the Council had had any serious discussions with heritage campaigners so early in the process, and both organisations believe that our involvement made a difference, especially to Cambridge and Wellington Streets.
Not everything in the garden is rosy. The loss of the historic Athol Hotel on Pinstone Street was unnecessary and avoidable, but it had been planned for at least two decades and proved too hard to stop, showing that municipal stubbornness dies hard. The equally unnecessary loss of the Sportsman in Cambridge Street has robbed Leah's Yard of its historic context (nearly all the buildings were erected in a single year, 1863). But there were positives, too: before speaking with Nalin we’d thought there was no hope of keeping the Bethel Primitive Methodist Chapel, nor Henry's (former Barleycorn Inn), nor the buildings on Wellington Street. So his foresight deserves recognition, as does the effectiveness of HHB and JUHS in working with him and his team in a pragmatic and constructive spirit.
And it has set a precedent. The Council by no means have the habit of early engagement, but they've done it once without catastrophe, and conversations we've had since suggest that they see its benefits. Next time you write an article on a major development, get in touch to find out whether HoC was a flash in the plan.
By the way, a quarter of a century is a serious underestimate of the length of time this particular project has been brewing. It began in the late 1950s, when the Council abandoned their idea of creating a civic zone around the Town Hall and decided that the area's regeneration would be retail-led instead, giving John Lewis a long lease on the site where their store now stands to begin the process. The pressure to knock everything down and build shiny new shops had been building for around 60 years when HoC was conceived, so it's no surprise that some assumptions where hard to shift.
The vision for smaller units is great and if you are not buying large packets then cycling into the city centre, especially on an ebike, is a consideration but there is no where safe from theives. Within all these developments and perhaps in the old John Lewis building a safe lock up for cyclists is needed. Most people with an expensive bike would be happy to pay a fee. The safe cycle parking at the station is full up and is not convenient for the city centre.
Oct 21, 2023·edited Oct 21, 2023Liked by Dan Hayes
I really enjoyed this piece and it’s great to see what’s actually there when the scaffolding and hoardings come down. I work with young people and several have mentioned Pound Park in particular as somewhere they feel safe handing out with friends and that’s an important part of any city centre.
“the dated and soon-to-be-demolished Midcity House makes it look like the Soviet Union did actually drop an atomic bomb on The Moor back in 1984 after all.“ My brain is not going to rest until I point out that the nuke was dropped on a base 20 miles outside Sheffield in the film Threads not on the actual Moor. If it had been the famous ‘Woman Who Urinates On Herself’* while stood on The Moor would have been vaporised immediately.
*IMDB give her star billing picture wise and all caps, she’s that iconic.
So refreshing to read an optimistic view of the city centre. Since I moved here two years ago I've felt excited about the growth of the city, and quickly grown tired of the naysaying that prevails (not exclusive to Sheffield I know...). Have always enjoyed the OHara backed businesses, The Pearl, Gatsby etc so sure the Yard will be similar quality
On a slight tangent, I'd like to pick up on the comment that as you get older, the stereoetype is that you move out to the country for a sedate lifestyle. My wife and I moved up from the South to be near my stepson. We aren't right in the centre, but we are in a tower block that overlooks the south-west part of Sheffield, with views out to the Peak District. We love it, partly because most of the facilities we need are all nearby, including medical facilities which tend to be more important as you get older. What's more, they're all within a level walk. I've lived in the country before, and it wasn't half so convenient - a 30-minute drive to the nearest town for a supermarket, for example. Similar for the hospital (now within walking distance). My one anxiety was that the air quality might be poorer in a city, but so far it's fine at 6 storeys up - not sure what it is at street level, but we don't spend the majority of our life there!
The bland optimism of most of the comments really makes my head ache.Do they ever talk or listen to Sheffielders outside the bubble of the Tribune? Do they ever hear the concerns of real people who regard a graffiti ridden city centre with its coterie of spice addicts-alcoholics and violence as somewhere to be avoided ? I don't know why Dan Hayes don't spend his time proclaiming this new Jerusalem.
When were the public consulted on what they wanted? Without the money to spend the public can’t take advantage of these developments e.g. how much was the flat? As a campaigner for publicly owned free buses £500m would transform not just Sheffield but SY & give everyone at least £1000 a year to spend. & start to get cars off the roads. We nearly achieved it in the 70’s.
I am really impressed by what is emerging (slowly) from the scaffolding... I’ve lived in Sheffield for almost 60 years, and the decay to the city centre has long been a growing blight, but I think what Sheffield Council have created is just what we needed! Damnation to the naysayers!
Great article , full of optimism about the city , which is not Leeds and Manchester and never will be.Unfortunately the safety net for many vulnerable people has been taken away and this is reflected in some of the other comments . I am amazed at how many people I know have never visited Grey to Green .Love Sheffield .
We live very close to the city centre but rarely visit since John Lewis closed. We did make a trip in recently and I think it looks promising. It still feels very grim near the cathedral and the end of Fargate and Chapel Walk is tragic but the new buildings and the Moor seem brighter...but what will happen to the Debenhams building?
I try and look at it through the eyes of young people who will make more use of the hospitality than we will.
Our son (who grew up in Sheffield and now lives in York) visited with some friends recently and had a great time around Kelham Island and then the City Centre.
I visit Sharrowvale Road daily for coffee and lunch and occasionally venture as far as Eccelshall Road and Endcliffe Park 😄..there are always lot of people walking around of all ages...I feel very comfortable. It would be interesting to see an article on the health of other local shopping areas in the city.
I loved reading this. Thank you. The comment about seeing the Peak District hills in the distance really resonated. Turning a random corner or cresting a steep street, you can suddenly see incredible, far-reaching views that lift the spirits hugely. Sheffield occupies such an amazing space. I hope that one day it will come into its own as a beautiful, interesting city that harmonises urban buzz with a thriving sense of nature.
I'm really happy that small retail units will be available but with a cost of living crisis set to last years, when will Sheffield reach peak hospitality? There's only so much money to go round and increased cafe, restaurant and bar provision risks spreading the money so thinly, failures are bound to start happening.
I share your positivity about Heart of the City. However, there's an important bit of the story that you missed. Round about the time Nalin Seneviratne was having his thoughts about a different approach to that of the ill-fated New Retail Quarter, a colleague of mine at Hallamshire Historic Buildings, frustrated by decades of Council-led slash-and-burn projects, asked to meet him to discuss how this time it could be different. To Nalin's enormous credit, he agreed. Soon after, the newly-formed Joined Up Heritage Sheffield had a similar idea, and again, Nalin was prepared not only to meet but also to listen, and then to set up meetings with the Council's partners. If you look back at the 2018 Heart of the City II Masterplan, some parts look very different - and much less heritage-friendly - to what is now being delivered. It was the first time within my memory that the Council had had any serious discussions with heritage campaigners so early in the process, and both organisations believe that our involvement made a difference, especially to Cambridge and Wellington Streets.
Not everything in the garden is rosy. The loss of the historic Athol Hotel on Pinstone Street was unnecessary and avoidable, but it had been planned for at least two decades and proved too hard to stop, showing that municipal stubbornness dies hard. The equally unnecessary loss of the Sportsman in Cambridge Street has robbed Leah's Yard of its historic context (nearly all the buildings were erected in a single year, 1863). But there were positives, too: before speaking with Nalin we’d thought there was no hope of keeping the Bethel Primitive Methodist Chapel, nor Henry's (former Barleycorn Inn), nor the buildings on Wellington Street. So his foresight deserves recognition, as does the effectiveness of HHB and JUHS in working with him and his team in a pragmatic and constructive spirit.
And it has set a precedent. The Council by no means have the habit of early engagement, but they've done it once without catastrophe, and conversations we've had since suggest that they see its benefits. Next time you write an article on a major development, get in touch to find out whether HoC was a flash in the plan.
By the way, a quarter of a century is a serious underestimate of the length of time this particular project has been brewing. It began in the late 1950s, when the Council abandoned their idea of creating a civic zone around the Town Hall and decided that the area's regeneration would be retail-led instead, giving John Lewis a long lease on the site where their store now stands to begin the process. The pressure to knock everything down and build shiny new shops had been building for around 60 years when HoC was conceived, so it's no surprise that some assumptions where hard to shift.
We need urban optimist pieces like this. More please!
The vision for smaller units is great and if you are not buying large packets then cycling into the city centre, especially on an ebike, is a consideration but there is no where safe from theives. Within all these developments and perhaps in the old John Lewis building a safe lock up for cyclists is needed. Most people with an expensive bike would be happy to pay a fee. The safe cycle parking at the station is full up and is not convenient for the city centre.
Great piece Dan. Fingers crossed I’m not made to look like an imbecile next year 😂
A really well written and researched article. I very much enjoyed reading it.
I really enjoyed this piece and it’s great to see what’s actually there when the scaffolding and hoardings come down. I work with young people and several have mentioned Pound Park in particular as somewhere they feel safe handing out with friends and that’s an important part of any city centre.
“the dated and soon-to-be-demolished Midcity House makes it look like the Soviet Union did actually drop an atomic bomb on The Moor back in 1984 after all.“ My brain is not going to rest until I point out that the nuke was dropped on a base 20 miles outside Sheffield in the film Threads not on the actual Moor. If it had been the famous ‘Woman Who Urinates On Herself’* while stood on The Moor would have been vaporised immediately.
*IMDB give her star billing picture wise and all caps, she’s that iconic.
So refreshing to read an optimistic view of the city centre. Since I moved here two years ago I've felt excited about the growth of the city, and quickly grown tired of the naysaying that prevails (not exclusive to Sheffield I know...). Have always enjoyed the OHara backed businesses, The Pearl, Gatsby etc so sure the Yard will be similar quality
On a slight tangent, I'd like to pick up on the comment that as you get older, the stereoetype is that you move out to the country for a sedate lifestyle. My wife and I moved up from the South to be near my stepson. We aren't right in the centre, but we are in a tower block that overlooks the south-west part of Sheffield, with views out to the Peak District. We love it, partly because most of the facilities we need are all nearby, including medical facilities which tend to be more important as you get older. What's more, they're all within a level walk. I've lived in the country before, and it wasn't half so convenient - a 30-minute drive to the nearest town for a supermarket, for example. Similar for the hospital (now within walking distance). My one anxiety was that the air quality might be poorer in a city, but so far it's fine at 6 storeys up - not sure what it is at street level, but we don't spend the majority of our life there!
The bland optimism of most of the comments really makes my head ache.Do they ever talk or listen to Sheffielders outside the bubble of the Tribune? Do they ever hear the concerns of real people who regard a graffiti ridden city centre with its coterie of spice addicts-alcoholics and violence as somewhere to be avoided ? I don't know why Dan Hayes don't spend his time proclaiming this new Jerusalem.
When were the public consulted on what they wanted? Without the money to spend the public can’t take advantage of these developments e.g. how much was the flat? As a campaigner for publicly owned free buses £500m would transform not just Sheffield but SY & give everyone at least £1000 a year to spend. & start to get cars off the roads. We nearly achieved it in the 70’s.
I am really impressed by what is emerging (slowly) from the scaffolding... I’ve lived in Sheffield for almost 60 years, and the decay to the city centre has long been a growing blight, but I think what Sheffield Council have created is just what we needed! Damnation to the naysayers!
Great article , full of optimism about the city , which is not Leeds and Manchester and never will be.Unfortunately the safety net for many vulnerable people has been taken away and this is reflected in some of the other comments . I am amazed at how many people I know have never visited Grey to Green .Love Sheffield .
We live very close to the city centre but rarely visit since John Lewis closed. We did make a trip in recently and I think it looks promising. It still feels very grim near the cathedral and the end of Fargate and Chapel Walk is tragic but the new buildings and the Moor seem brighter...but what will happen to the Debenhams building?
I try and look at it through the eyes of young people who will make more use of the hospitality than we will.
Our son (who grew up in Sheffield and now lives in York) visited with some friends recently and had a great time around Kelham Island and then the City Centre.
I visit Sharrowvale Road daily for coffee and lunch and occasionally venture as far as Eccelshall Road and Endcliffe Park 😄..there are always lot of people walking around of all ages...I feel very comfortable. It would be interesting to see an article on the health of other local shopping areas in the city.
It's "Queensberry", like the Marquis. Not sure how closely they follow his rules, mind you.
I loved reading this. Thank you. The comment about seeing the Peak District hills in the distance really resonated. Turning a random corner or cresting a steep street, you can suddenly see incredible, far-reaching views that lift the spirits hugely. Sheffield occupies such an amazing space. I hope that one day it will come into its own as a beautiful, interesting city that harmonises urban buzz with a thriving sense of nature.
I'm really happy that small retail units will be available but with a cost of living crisis set to last years, when will Sheffield reach peak hospitality? There's only so much money to go round and increased cafe, restaurant and bar provision risks spreading the money so thinly, failures are bound to start happening.