£300m Meadowhall extension approved
Plans to add a £300m leisure hall to Meadowhall, creating 1,550 jobs, have been given the green light.
Sheffield City Council’s planning committee gave the go-ahead to proposals by owners British Land to add 300,000 sq ft of leisure space to the shopping centre and see improvements to the road network around the area.
Housed under a glazed roof, the multi-level extension will add dining and entertainment options not currently available at Meadowhall, as well as internal and external spaces for events and community use. These include new restaurants, a state-of-the-art cinema to replace the existing cinema, a new café court, gym and additional leisure space to offer new experiences and activities.
A new open-air terrace will be added so visitors can dine outside. The leisure hall will be integrated with the front of the existing centre to create a multi-levelled, landscaped open space.
The publication of the planning report coincides with the news that Highways England has also given its backing, having reached an agreement with British Land on a series of enhancements and upgrades to the road network.
Developed with Sheffield City Council and Highways England, the highway improvement strategy includes a range of public transport enhancements and initiatives to make Meadowhall more accessible to pedestrians and cyclists and forms part of a £15m package of investments in the area by British Land as part of the delivery of the leisure hall.
Charles Maudsley, head of retail, leisure and residential for British Land, said: “We worked with a broad range of stakeholders to develop our proposals, to create an outstanding environment which continues to match people’s needs in response to the changing ways they live their lives. It also delivers wide-ranging benefits to the Sheffield City Region for many years to come.
“The widespread support our plans have received reflects the success of our partnership approach. The leisure hall is a key strategic initiative for Sheffield City Region. It sits alongside other significant investments in the city centre and elsewhere, and ensures the area continues to play a key role in the UK economy, creating jobs and a skilled workforce; improving the quality of life for residents; and enhancing its appeal to visitors.”
It will create up to 1,550 permanent jobs once completed and 550 temporary jobs during construction. Working with The Source Skills Academy, Meadowhall has set a target of 50% of the jobs being filled locally, with up to 90% from the wider Sheffield City Region.
Once built, the leisure hall will boost the City Region’s economy by £24.7m per year and raise more than £7m in business rates for the City Council annually.
