More details revealed for next phase of city centre regeneration scheme

New images and official names have been unveiled for the next two blocks in Sheffield City Council’s Heart of the City II development project.

The two new blocks, which were granted planning approval earlier this year, sit alongside each other and front onto Pinstone Street. The latest CGI pictures today showcase the Victorian façades on Pinstone Street which are being restored as part of the work. They also show what the Five Ways area will look like once work has been completed.

Five Ways is the name being given to the pedestrianised interchange where Cross Burgess Street, Charles Street, Cambridge Street and Wellington Street meet.

Situated between Pinstone Street, Cross Burgess Street and Charles Street, Block B is split into three defined uses. Plans incorporate Laycock House, a late Victorian building which has survived completely intact. Work will see a sensitive renovation of the residences and smaller retail units within.

In total, the block will feature almost 11,000 sq ft of space suitable for shops, restaurants or cafés on the ground floor, while the floors above will feature a small amount of office space – to be named Athol House– and 52 quality urban apartments – to be known as Burgess House.

Block C is to be officially named Isaacs House. Originally erected by paperhangings merchant David Isaacs in 1904, the building sits between Pinstone Street, Cambridge Street and Charles Street.

Behind the sympathetically restored Pinstone Street frontage, the building is being re-imagined to provide 37,600 sq ft of contemporary work space and 10,000 sq ft of prime retail and leisure space.

The office in Isaacs House will provide a modern, light and airy working environment and five prominently positioned retail units will be on the ground floor. The building will step up in height from three storeys on Pinstone Street to eight storeys on the new-build side. The office space on the top floor will offer sweeping views across the south of the city.

Councillor Julie Dore, leader of Sheffield City Council, said: “We can see that the Heart of the City scheme is really coming to fruition now. The first stage is delivered and we are continuing to drive it forward, these new visuals show what the next stage will look like.

“This project is an important part of transforming our city centre so that it has the offer that the people of Sheffield deserve as one of the country’s major cities.

“We have always said that we will deliver a scheme that raises the bar for what a city centre should be. We are maintaining our historic and attractive buildings while creating new places where people can live, work and be entertained.”

Cllr Mazher Iqbal, cabinet member for Business and Investment at Sheffield City Council, said: “With the naming of these two blocks, we have tried to be respectful to the history of the site and give a nod to individuals involved in the sites past.

“This is also the case with the design, which has celebrated the beautiful Victorian features on the Pinstone Street side, while modernising the rears to create striking architecture that balances new and old perfectly.

“The two blocks will transform the Pinstone Street shopping scene and add more much-needed quality office space and new homes.”

John Morgan, director at Leonard Design Architects, said: “We’re delighted to help bring these two blocks forward and build on the success of the first phase of Heart of the City II.

“This section of the masterplan, with its historic architecture, is a key part of the streetscape and the fabric of the city. Block B will therefore be updated and renovated as the interior has remained intact. However, block C will see its façade retained but the interior structure removed and remodelled in order to make it suitable for contemporary needs.

“There is a growing demand for high quality office space in this area of the city, as evidenced by Grosvenor House, and this next phase will certainly help to reinforce the city centre as a core base for successful business.”