Operator sought to run café bar in historic converted industrial premises

The team behind the restoration of Sheffield’s Eyewitness Works want an independent entrepreneur to run a new café bar at the Devonshire Quarter community.

Developers Capital&Centric – who are restoring the Grade II-listed former cutlery works on Milton Street – are on the hunt for a team to set up shop in the ground floor space.

The business says the 1,200 sq ft unit will feature floor-to-ceiling windows, exposed brickwork and steel beams, and will suit an indie café bar serving food and drink, with the option for a bakery or general store.

The space will be accessed from Thomas Street, with a residents’ entrance from one of the Eyewitness Work’s internal courtyard gardens. It would be ready as early as March 2022.

Tim Heatley, co-founder at Capital&Centric, said: “We’re determined Eyewitness Works will be packed with character and a proper community, fitting for the listed building that brims with social history.

“The café bar on the ground floor will be the beating heart of that community, situated in a space with bags of original features that capture the charm of the city’s industrial past.

“Sheffield is such a buzzing city, with its own edge and entrepreneurial spirit. We know there’ll be loads of people out there with a dream and real vision for a new business just waiting for the right opportunity.

“It’ll be a great home for a Sheffield-born venture to get off the ground and become a go-to place for both our residents and visitors. If you have an idea, get in touch.”

Capital&Centric says it intends to support potential operators through the process of designing and fitting out the space ahead of the café bar opening.

Work is currently underway to transform the site into 97 loft apartments and townhouses, with a range of different properties and interior design styles being developed.

Properties will be launched for sale next summer, with the project expected to be finished toward the end of the year.

The £21m regeneration project will restore the two Grade II listed buildings, while retaining many of their original features such as a 40ft chimney and a 150-year-old friction screw press.

It’s part of a wider vision to transform the surrounding area into “Mesters’ Village”, a neighbourhood with over 2,500 homes, makers spaces, café bars, delis and a school.