Plans revealed for next phase of major city centre regeneration

A scheme to retain a create a “cultural heart” in Sheffield City Council’s Heart of the City II regeneration has been unveiled.

Block H, located on the site between Wellington Street, Carver Street and Cambridge Street, will become a mixed use development split into three distinct elements, dubbed H1, H2 and H3.

A period of public consultation on H2 and H3 has begun, ahead of a planning submission this spring.

H2 will be a brand-new building offering about 70,000 sq ft of Grade A office space, split across seven upper floors and boasting a south facing roof terrace, with retail and food and beverage units on the ground floor.

The dark-coloured metal building will take inspiration from Sheffield’s industrial past. H2 has been designed to minimise operational energy, emitting around 40% less carbon than a typical Building Regulations compliant design.

In contrast, the development for H3 – to be known as Cambridge Street Collective – will aim to retain as much of the quality, existing fabric and façades along Cambridge Street and Wellington Street as possible, in order to balance the old and new across the site.

Proposals for Cambridge Street Collective include a large, industrial-style space, which would be suited to a food hall or similar sociable, communal offer.

Wrapping around this space would be shops, a bar and restaurant, and an upper level leisure space. The existing Bethel Chapel building will also be renovated, with plans for this to become a live entertainment venue.

Although not part of this planning application, the site is also home to Leah’s Yard (H1) – a Grade II* Listed building housing a collection of small former industrial workshops.

Plans are still at an early stage, however the project team wants to maintain the building’s Sheffield character by providing similar workshops for the city’s next creative generation. In the meantime, Listed Building Consent is being sought to undertake the structural works required to make the buildings secure.

Councillor Mazher Iqbal, cabinet member for Business and Investment at Sheffield City Council, explained: “We will be retaining a lot of attractive heritage across the Heart of the City II site, while also ensuring we create new spaces that are sustainable to the local economy.

“With some of the most interesting architecture in the city centre, Block H was always going to be one of the most rewarding blocks in the masterplan. We truly believe these new plans will help provide a cultural heart and social anchor to the scheme.”

Nick Roscoe, of Hallamshire Historic Buildings, said: “Sheffield City Council should be commended for taking this enlightened and forward-thinking approach to the interesting range of buildings that we can see on Cambridge Street and Wellington Street today.

“They have brought in first class architects and consulted carefully with stakeholders to make the most of these precious heritage assets. This is a project to be proud of and an approach we hope to see followed again.”

Andrew Davison, project director at Queensberry, said: “Large communal hubs, like we are planning with Cambridge Street Collective, are proving hugely popular across the UK and Europe. The concept of a vibrant and bustling environment, with shared tables and a variety of food, drink and leisure offers, is synonymous with how we want to work, socialise and interact these days.

“It also ties into the ethos of Sheffield as well, by giving smaller independent businesses a platform to showcase their offer to a wider market.”

George Wilson, associate at Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios, said: “Our approach recognises the significance of not only the Grade II* Listed Leah’s Yard and the Grade II Listed Bethel Sunday School, but also the collection of buildings that face Cambridge Street and Wellington Street.

“We are proposing to continue the story of 185 years of streetscape by retaining effectively all of the street-facing historic fabric and arranging new buildings that sympathetically respond to the setting of the City Centre Conservation Area.

“By celebrating and working with the existing fabric, we will create a place that is distinctly ‘of Sheffield’ – unique in its character and setting but also reflecting the city’s bold and forward-looking vision.”