Very interesting article as always. I live in Rotherham which has suffered the double whammy of being sandwiched between Meadowhall and Parkgate. Rotherham once had two department stores, an M&S, BHS, WH Smith, Next, Boots. All are gone. The idea that town and city centres will become home to lots of quirky independent shops is pie in the sky I’m afraid. Rotherham town centre is dire.
Thanks Eileen. I think it's a lot harder for town centres than city centres - in Sheffield the universities and greater number of office workers make some of this stuff more viable
Sheffield City Centre is undergoing a quiet revolution and long may it continue.
There's a strap line on one of the Heart of the City hoardings which says 'Making a Home for Modern Mesters' which I think is brilliant. Leah's Yard (Cambridge St) is one of those places. The redevelopment of the Little Mesters workshops will be a destination for independent retail, and immersive experience showcasing the finest traders, makers and creators from around the City. The available units were over subscribed 3 to 4 fold when they went out to offer. It reinforced the fact that Sheffield City Council's city centre regeneration strategy is working.
The majority of Sheffield's new housing allocation will be delivered in the city centre. Another 11k in the coming years to add to the 25k that already live within the inner city ring road. Familiar city centre shops have gone and are being replaced in part by supermarkets which are rammed most of the day.
If you try to walk into a restaurant it is unlikely you will be able to get a table. The hotels are full all the time. And there are waiting lists for people to get into city centre apartment blocks.
If you live in the city centre, you appreciate how busy it is. I don't feel this is a city that is down on its heels. It is just changing. I happen to think Sheffield City Council is doing a good job. There is a different festival every month throughout the calendar year and regular events and markets dotted all over. This is where the city centre has an advantage over Meadowhall. It is a more flexible space to host events. It doesn't have British Land telling it what it can and can't do.
What lets the city centre down is the prolific graffiti tagging and fly posting. Even in the areas that have been redeveloped like Fitzalan Square. If the Orchard Square street scene standards could be replicated across the city centre, I'm sure people would have more confidence in the fact that Sheffield had turned a corner.
Thanks Bridget. I think the city centre probably still needs to do more for families with young children - pounds park is a good start but the big events at Meadowhall (I was there shortly before the "Barbie experience") are very well tailored to that market
Thanks Daniel. The Moor Market had a free Barbie and Spiderman event running during the summer holidays. The Meadowhall Barbie Experience ticket prices were £12.50 and £15 per child depending on age.
If you live in the city centre with children then you will probably know about the Pinball Pocket Park (Brown St), Matilda St Pocket Park, Percussion Pocket Park (Charter Square), Springfield Park (Gell St) and there's Devonshire Green which is well used by everyone. As a visitor with children you might not know about these and perhaps it is an issue of raising awareness.
The Peace Gardens is always busy with families particularly when the fountains are running. One of the aims of Pounds Park was to take the pressure off the Peace Gardens.
Jointly during the year Sheffield City Council, The Moor Markets and Sheffield BID do alot to provide free family events, which from what I can see are always well attended. Meadowhall on the other hand charges for everything apart from their outdoor playarea.
Bridget i feel the same about the graffiti its everywhere and blight on city thats trying its best to revive. I know the council doesn't have a lot of money but i wish they try to remove it!
The council can only remove it from their property. Businesses and other property owners have to do their own. It is a vicious circle. It doesn't get reported to the police as criminal damage because no one wants to spend 40 mins ringing 101. And they don't think the police will do anything anyway. Because it isn't reported the police cannot allocate resources to identify who is doing it (which by the way tends to be middle class anti-establishment 40 somethings who are trying to turn Sheffield into 'graff city' to rival Bristol). I've been at it for 2 years solidly and got nowhere apart from collecting enough data to write a PhD on it!
Well, it's certainly refreshing to come across a positive take on the city centre v Meadowhall debate! One thing you don't explicitly mention is that David Blunket's city council was dead set against in when proposed in the mid eighties for reasons that have become only too apparent. I end up really wishing that your optimistic take on the transformation of the city centre is realistic and sustainable. Unfortunately every time I return from a visit to Fargate or the Moor these days - and wonder what on earth the Chinese students passing through make of it compared to their home cities - my instincts tell me otherwise. Let's hope you're right!
Thanks Tim! I genuinely do like the city centre a lot more than when I first moved here. Fargate will hopefully look a lot better once they've done the renovation there. We will see...
Asking which wins out town centre or Meadowhall and if they can coexist seems a bit irrelevant at the moment. The retail offer of both is suffering because of the online onslaught, which I think is supply side led. I think major retailers want online shopping much more than shoppers. I therefore predict we are in a period similar to what our night time economy went through in the early noughties. Corporately ran pubs management companies tried to reduce the number of outlets whilst selling their properties for a fast buck. What then happened was the consumer proved king, the real ale revolution took hold micro pubs were invented and we have a better pub offer than ever before. I foresee a similar retail transition. I hope it benefits both centres.
I coined the term 'meadowhell' as a teenager, and being an obnoxious teenager, shouted about it (seeded it) while at meadowhell. Really thrilled that it stuck - still hate the place.
One thing in favour of meadowhall easily missed: it's fantastic for accessibility. Lifts everywhere and no uneven pavements. Someone mentioned that to me about a decade ago and I haven't called it Meadowhell since.
Another excellent article and answered a few questions I had about the rise of Meadowhell. Ironic that the mall took over from the city centre as the place to shop - now the mall is being supplanted by online shopping.
Yes, we haven't quite come full circle but it does feel like the see saw is tipping. Having said that, Meadowhall still draws in lots of punters and has lots of high end shops.
Mostly I see people coming in from the South Yorkshire townships who don't seem to have much disposable income and are mainly window shopping. Personally if I have to go there I treat it like a military operation - identify the target shop and closest point of entry , get in and out as quickly as I can. I'm looking forward to using the new cycle hub though.
A surprisingly positive piece even though a visit to fargate is a depressing experience. It is interesting you refer to M&S as hanging on. For how much longer? Try using their lift, it seems not much is being spent on the building. Boots and WHS?
We try to bring some sunshine, Hugh! Not sure re M&S - I'm sure they're suffering with the current state of fargate but it might get better once that's finished with the work being done on it. I felt at the time that John Lewis were a bit short sighted to leave at exactly the moment the area around them was being regenerated
It would really help the city centre if they reduced the cost of parking. I had some time off recently and we decided to go to town and take a look around. We spontaneously went to the theatre (Life of Pi...it was brilliant!) And ended up paying nearly £17 for parking!!!
I am really impressed with the way in which the city centre is being transformed, but it's only going to work if people get more positive about what is trying to be achieved, and go into the city centre to try the new food courts, restaurants, venues and independent shops. It's in all of our powers to make the change happen, but only if we go in and see the positive things, albeit I know everything can't be transformed all at once, so there are still empty lets and run down parts of town.
Really interesting article too - have shared it with friends who aren't yet Tribune subscribers and they've been super impressed with the quality of the journalism too.
Terrific article full of interesting facts and insights. Can’t get too worked up about shopping v housing which is a false choice unless you believe in municipalisation of both retail and housing industries.
Honestly, Dan, fancy writing an article on shopping in Sheffield without mentioning Atkinson's!
But seriously: Internet shopping and declining prosperity have ruined towns like Rotherham and Chesterfield (which has even lost its M&S recently.)
The survival of the exciting array of "experiences" in Sheffield is reliant on people still having money to spend on them: and unless we get more well-off world students, or relocated civil servants, etc., that isn't going to happen.
No, what we need is more housing, and unwanted shops could be converted to this use. Eventually, this will happen. I want it to be social housing: I'm rather worried that it will end up being for better off people with large mortgages.
Meanwhile, in another part of the forest (the USA actually) many malls are declining and some are being abandoned. Again, not enough consumer money to support them.
A few additional observations on why the city council approved the creation of Meadowhall;
Rotherham Councils disastrous decision to go for a one of Thatchers Enterprise Zones at Parkgate handed its owner Eddie Healey a blank checque permission to build anything he liked without the need for any planning control. So when Sykes and Healey jointly proposed the Meadowhall site as an alternative they had a gun to the Sheffields head 'If you say no we just take it to Parkgate and do what we like'.
However at the same time (late 80s)there were three big retail/leisure schemes with permission in the pipeline for the city centre - a ,'Festival shopping' scheme at the Canal Basin, the Clayform scene. in Castlegate and an early version of the current Heart of City 2 around Cambridge St. Orchsrd sq had just opened and much more was expe ted to follow. So the city centre did look to have its retail and leisure answers to the Meadowhall competition. Unfortunately none of them other than Orchard Sq survived the recession whilst Healey and Sykes kept their nerve.
Once the decision was taken we planners set about ensuring that people of all classes could use it by making it the most accessible public transport hub in the region bringing tram, train and bus facilities in intigration
Lastly postwar Sheffield centre was always exposed due to its very linear form ,- a single line of shopa fron the Wicker Arches to Moorfoot, meaning that almost every major chain had two stores, one roughly in Castlegate and one in Fargate or the Moor. As all this duplication was squeezed out it was bound to create huge areas of vacant retail
space which we are slowly learning how to put to other good and active uses -often low cost, experimental and locally created in areas such as Castlegate.
Also worth remembering that in the 'good old days' critics of the city centre like to hark back to, the Peace Gardens were dominated by large groups of street drinkers and Division St was a dull run down street and Devonshire Green an unloved playing field. Not everything has got worse!
That's some really interesting context, thanks Simon. Also interesting that heart of the city two is helping the city move away from a linear structure
Central Sheffield's linear layout was and to some extent remains part of its legacy of being a big village. If this needs to go, then go it must. But it made a wonderfully long and exhausting walk for the children in the school holidays! (I'm not big on the countryside.)
Very interesting article as always. I live in Rotherham which has suffered the double whammy of being sandwiched between Meadowhall and Parkgate. Rotherham once had two department stores, an M&S, BHS, WH Smith, Next, Boots. All are gone. The idea that town and city centres will become home to lots of quirky independent shops is pie in the sky I’m afraid. Rotherham town centre is dire.
Thanks Eileen. I think it's a lot harder for town centres than city centres - in Sheffield the universities and greater number of office workers make some of this stuff more viable
Great article, thanks.
Sheffield City Centre is undergoing a quiet revolution and long may it continue.
There's a strap line on one of the Heart of the City hoardings which says 'Making a Home for Modern Mesters' which I think is brilliant. Leah's Yard (Cambridge St) is one of those places. The redevelopment of the Little Mesters workshops will be a destination for independent retail, and immersive experience showcasing the finest traders, makers and creators from around the City. The available units were over subscribed 3 to 4 fold when they went out to offer. It reinforced the fact that Sheffield City Council's city centre regeneration strategy is working.
The majority of Sheffield's new housing allocation will be delivered in the city centre. Another 11k in the coming years to add to the 25k that already live within the inner city ring road. Familiar city centre shops have gone and are being replaced in part by supermarkets which are rammed most of the day.
If you try to walk into a restaurant it is unlikely you will be able to get a table. The hotels are full all the time. And there are waiting lists for people to get into city centre apartment blocks.
If you live in the city centre, you appreciate how busy it is. I don't feel this is a city that is down on its heels. It is just changing. I happen to think Sheffield City Council is doing a good job. There is a different festival every month throughout the calendar year and regular events and markets dotted all over. This is where the city centre has an advantage over Meadowhall. It is a more flexible space to host events. It doesn't have British Land telling it what it can and can't do.
What lets the city centre down is the prolific graffiti tagging and fly posting. Even in the areas that have been redeveloped like Fitzalan Square. If the Orchard Square street scene standards could be replicated across the city centre, I'm sure people would have more confidence in the fact that Sheffield had turned a corner.
Thanks Bridget. I think the city centre probably still needs to do more for families with young children - pounds park is a good start but the big events at Meadowhall (I was there shortly before the "Barbie experience") are very well tailored to that market
Thanks Daniel. The Moor Market had a free Barbie and Spiderman event running during the summer holidays. The Meadowhall Barbie Experience ticket prices were £12.50 and £15 per child depending on age.
If you live in the city centre with children then you will probably know about the Pinball Pocket Park (Brown St), Matilda St Pocket Park, Percussion Pocket Park (Charter Square), Springfield Park (Gell St) and there's Devonshire Green which is well used by everyone. As a visitor with children you might not know about these and perhaps it is an issue of raising awareness.
The Peace Gardens is always busy with families particularly when the fountains are running. One of the aims of Pounds Park was to take the pressure off the Peace Gardens.
Jointly during the year Sheffield City Council, The Moor Markets and Sheffield BID do alot to provide free family events, which from what I can see are always well attended. Meadowhall on the other hand charges for everything apart from their outdoor playarea.
Bridget i feel the same about the graffiti its everywhere and blight on city thats trying its best to revive. I know the council doesn't have a lot of money but i wish they try to remove it!
The council can only remove it from their property. Businesses and other property owners have to do their own. It is a vicious circle. It doesn't get reported to the police as criminal damage because no one wants to spend 40 mins ringing 101. And they don't think the police will do anything anyway. Because it isn't reported the police cannot allocate resources to identify who is doing it (which by the way tends to be middle class anti-establishment 40 somethings who are trying to turn Sheffield into 'graff city' to rival Bristol). I've been at it for 2 years solidly and got nowhere apart from collecting enough data to write a PhD on it!
Well, it's certainly refreshing to come across a positive take on the city centre v Meadowhall debate! One thing you don't explicitly mention is that David Blunket's city council was dead set against in when proposed in the mid eighties for reasons that have become only too apparent. I end up really wishing that your optimistic take on the transformation of the city centre is realistic and sustainable. Unfortunately every time I return from a visit to Fargate or the Moor these days - and wonder what on earth the Chinese students passing through make of it compared to their home cities - my instincts tell me otherwise. Let's hope you're right!
Thanks Tim! I genuinely do like the city centre a lot more than when I first moved here. Fargate will hopefully look a lot better once they've done the renovation there. We will see...
A broadbased and comprehensive article -well researched which obviously involved a hell of a lot of hard work. But Castlegate House?
Thanks Ron — have changed that now.
Asking which wins out town centre or Meadowhall and if they can coexist seems a bit irrelevant at the moment. The retail offer of both is suffering because of the online onslaught, which I think is supply side led. I think major retailers want online shopping much more than shoppers. I therefore predict we are in a period similar to what our night time economy went through in the early noughties. Corporately ran pubs management companies tried to reduce the number of outlets whilst selling their properties for a fast buck. What then happened was the consumer proved king, the real ale revolution took hold micro pubs were invented and we have a better pub offer than ever before. I foresee a similar retail transition. I hope it benefits both centres.
Intriguing parallel. Let's see what happens
I coined the term 'meadowhell' as a teenager, and being an obnoxious teenager, shouted about it (seeded it) while at meadowhell. Really thrilled that it stuck - still hate the place.
I’m hoping you are also the person behind the old spoof meadowhell.co.uk website and have kept a copy you can retrieve.
One thing in favour of meadowhall easily missed: it's fantastic for accessibility. Lifts everywhere and no uneven pavements. Someone mentioned that to me about a decade ago and I haven't called it Meadowhell since.
Another excellent article and answered a few questions I had about the rise of Meadowhell. Ironic that the mall took over from the city centre as the place to shop - now the mall is being supplanted by online shopping.
Yes, we haven't quite come full circle but it does feel like the see saw is tipping. Having said that, Meadowhall still draws in lots of punters and has lots of high end shops.
Mostly I see people coming in from the South Yorkshire townships who don't seem to have much disposable income and are mainly window shopping. Personally if I have to go there I treat it like a military operation - identify the target shop and closest point of entry , get in and out as quickly as I can. I'm looking forward to using the new cycle hub though.
A surprisingly positive piece even though a visit to fargate is a depressing experience. It is interesting you refer to M&S as hanging on. For how much longer? Try using their lift, it seems not much is being spent on the building. Boots and WHS?
We try to bring some sunshine, Hugh! Not sure re M&S - I'm sure they're suffering with the current state of fargate but it might get better once that's finished with the work being done on it. I felt at the time that John Lewis were a bit short sighted to leave at exactly the moment the area around them was being regenerated
It would really help the city centre if they reduced the cost of parking. I had some time off recently and we decided to go to town and take a look around. We spontaneously went to the theatre (Life of Pi...it was brilliant!) And ended up paying nearly £17 for parking!!!
I am really impressed with the way in which the city centre is being transformed, but it's only going to work if people get more positive about what is trying to be achieved, and go into the city centre to try the new food courts, restaurants, venues and independent shops. It's in all of our powers to make the change happen, but only if we go in and see the positive things, albeit I know everything can't be transformed all at once, so there are still empty lets and run down parts of town.
Really interesting article too - have shared it with friends who aren't yet Tribune subscribers and they've been super impressed with the quality of the journalism too.
Thanks - we really appreciate people spreading the word!
Excellent, balanced article, giving real food for thought. Gives me hope for the city centre.
Terrific article full of interesting facts and insights. Can’t get too worked up about shopping v housing which is a false choice unless you believe in municipalisation of both retail and housing industries.
But great journalism Dan.
Thanks Mick - glad you liked it
Honestly, Dan, fancy writing an article on shopping in Sheffield without mentioning Atkinson's!
But seriously: Internet shopping and declining prosperity have ruined towns like Rotherham and Chesterfield (which has even lost its M&S recently.)
The survival of the exciting array of "experiences" in Sheffield is reliant on people still having money to spend on them: and unless we get more well-off world students, or relocated civil servants, etc., that isn't going to happen.
No, what we need is more housing, and unwanted shops could be converted to this use. Eventually, this will happen. I want it to be social housing: I'm rather worried that it will end up being for better off people with large mortgages.
Meanwhile, in another part of the forest (the USA actually) many malls are declining and some are being abandoned. Again, not enough consumer money to support them.
Byeeeee! Off to Atkinson's now 😁
Enjoy your trip to Atkinsons Ruth!
Mm, yeah, I did. Got lots of Christmas shopping done. Thanks for good wishes!
A few additional observations on why the city council approved the creation of Meadowhall;
Rotherham Councils disastrous decision to go for a one of Thatchers Enterprise Zones at Parkgate handed its owner Eddie Healey a blank checque permission to build anything he liked without the need for any planning control. So when Sykes and Healey jointly proposed the Meadowhall site as an alternative they had a gun to the Sheffields head 'If you say no we just take it to Parkgate and do what we like'.
However at the same time (late 80s)there were three big retail/leisure schemes with permission in the pipeline for the city centre - a ,'Festival shopping' scheme at the Canal Basin, the Clayform scene. in Castlegate and an early version of the current Heart of City 2 around Cambridge St. Orchsrd sq had just opened and much more was expe ted to follow. So the city centre did look to have its retail and leisure answers to the Meadowhall competition. Unfortunately none of them other than Orchard Sq survived the recession whilst Healey and Sykes kept their nerve.
Once the decision was taken we planners set about ensuring that people of all classes could use it by making it the most accessible public transport hub in the region bringing tram, train and bus facilities in intigration
Lastly postwar Sheffield centre was always exposed due to its very linear form ,- a single line of shopa fron the Wicker Arches to Moorfoot, meaning that almost every major chain had two stores, one roughly in Castlegate and one in Fargate or the Moor. As all this duplication was squeezed out it was bound to create huge areas of vacant retail
space which we are slowly learning how to put to other good and active uses -often low cost, experimental and locally created in areas such as Castlegate.
Also worth remembering that in the 'good old days' critics of the city centre like to hark back to, the Peace Gardens were dominated by large groups of street drinkers and Division St was a dull run down street and Devonshire Green an unloved playing field. Not everything has got worse!
That's some really interesting context, thanks Simon. Also interesting that heart of the city two is helping the city move away from a linear structure
Central Sheffield's linear layout was and to some extent remains part of its legacy of being a big village. If this needs to go, then go it must. But it made a wonderfully long and exhausting walk for the children in the school holidays! (I'm not big on the countryside.)
Thank you for this information, Mr. Ogden, much of which was unknown to me.