Green light for university’s £45m facility

The University of Sheffield has been given approval for its £45m social sciences building.

Sheffield City Council unanimously approved the site which will include a research centre, with new teaching and social spaces. The 178,000 sq ft building will provide a base for the departments of economics, politics and sociological studies, as well as journalism and education.

The Faculty of Social Sciences is the university’s largest faculty, with more than 9,000 students – 34% of the University’s total student population.

​Designed by award-winning Sheffield-based architects HLM, the building will be built on the site of a 3G pitch on Northumberland Road.

A linked sports centre planning application on Northumberland Road, which was also approved by the planning committee this week, will provide a new swimming pool and increased gym capacity.

It originally applied for planning permission in February 2017, and construction of the four storey social sciences building will start in early 2018, with a completion date in spring 2020.

Work on the proposed new sports centre would begin once the social sciences building is complete.

Professor Gill Valentine, Vice-President and Head of Faculty for Social Sciences, said: “Our Faculty is leading the way in impactful learning, teaching and research. The new facility has the potential to secure future development in these areas by bringing our students and academics together in an innovative, interdisciplinary environment.”

​Professor Sir Keith Burnett, President & Vice-Chancellor of the University of Sheffield, said: “As a scientist all my career, I have been astonished at how much of my energy as a leader has in fact fallen into the area of Social Science, engaging with government, understanding an economy and how we live together.

“For our work as medics, engineers and scientists to really bite, we need social sciences to be the gear that connects us to the way the world works.

“Our new flagship venture for Social Sciences will allow us to partner with global organisations in ways which will also benefit our city, creating opportunities for the next generation along the way.”