A consultation on the future of Sheffield city centre is now open, inviting people to share their views on how the city centre should be shaped in the future to adapt and thrive following the challenges of the pandemic.
A new Vision for the development of the city centre sets out the diverse role it plays as a hub of commerce and growth in the city, centre for shopping, leisure, and nightlife, as well as home to thousands of people.
The five-week consultation sets out our ambitions for the city centre over the next 20 years, focusing on key areas such as housing, regeneration, public transport, and green spaces.
Development work is already underway to transform much of the city centre, including the £470m Heart of the City scheme, as well as funding secured to revitalise the high street and Castlegate through the Future High Streets Fund and the council’s recent successful bid to the Levelling Up Fund.
The city centre Vision looks ahead to how city centre spaces can be best utilised to meet the needs of Sheffielders, including plans to create five new distinctive neighbourhoods with high quality, sustainable housing in Neepsend, Wicker Riverside, Castlegate, the Moor and Furnace Hill. More than 20,000 new homes would be created, relieving pressure on greenfield sites, and helping to meet housing demands for Sheffield’s growing population.
The new communities would offer direct access to all the amenities the city centre has to offer, mirroring established and popular neighbourhoods such as Kelham Island.
The consultation will also seek opinions on other important areas, including the ‘spine’ of the city centre, which runs from Castlegate to the Moor, plans for key areas such as Fargate and options for the future of the former John Lewis store.
The feedback provided in this consultation will be used to inform more detailed plans for different areas of the city centre and will help to create a shared Vision for the city’s future.
Councillor Mazher Iqbal, Executive Member for City Futures: Development, Culture and Regeneration, said: “We know how much interest there is in the future of the city centre and that people want a city centre they can feel proud of.
“Sheffield is an incredibly distinctive city, and we want to make sure that we develop a Vision for its future that incorporates our unique identity, heritage and culture, whilst making sure it is adaptable and able to face any challenges over the coming years.
“We know that Sheffielders are invested in and care about what happens next and that’s why we’ve launched this consultation to give everyone a chance to read the plans and have a say in what they would like to see.
“Through this consultation we want to create a plan for repurposing our city centre that will maintain Sheffield’s strong reputation as a place people want to come to live, work, study and succeed.”
The consultation will run until Friday 11th February 2022. People can view the plans and provide comments at www.ourcitycentre-shf.com, by emailing info@ourcitycentre-shf.com or by calling 08081965105.
