Creative uses of spaces in Sheffield city centre
Filling the Sevenstone void
With the Sevenstone retail quarter on hold for at least the next 2-3 years, there are empty buildings and patches of land in town earmarked for development but currently not being used to their potential.
The latest scheme to try and address this is the proposed Red square retail area which is featured in the latest issue of Exposed magazine.
This idea would see vacant land on Trafalgar street (see the map below) turned into a hub of 35 small units and workspaces for artists, makers and creative independent new retailers. The shipping container units (‘ship shops’) would be cheap to rent and let on easy-in/easy-out terms. The focal point is a small, central square with a cafe and gallery.
The people behind the idea are looking for feedback on the proposal and also would like to hear from any potential occupiers. At the time of writing, it doesn’t look like the www.red-square.org website is live, but if you are interested or just want more information then email info@red-square.org.
There are also other schemes trying to find creative and worthwhile uses for the available spaces in the city centre.
The excellent Sheffield Swap shop project aims to take on a vacant shop in Sheffield and turn it into a community swap shop managed by volunteers. People will be able to turn up to exchange skills, services and use it for other community-related activities. It looks like Sunwin house is a venue that Swap shop is considering. If you want to get involved, contact Helen Milner.
University architecture students and the council have got together to work on the Empty quarter action project. They will be publishing a report full of creative ideas for the vacant shops, buildings and streets in the city and need your input for the public consultation that will feed into this. If you are interested in contributing to this then read more and email the project.
In addition, the council has also given the empty shop fronts behind Pinstone street a cosmetic makeover and there is ongoing discussion regarding what to do with the empty fire station on Wellington street.
Walking around some parts of town is a bit depressing at the moment so it is encouraging that people are trying to do something about it. It is good to have a mix of grassroots community schemes to get involved with like Swap shop and also ideas such as Red square that could also give a commercial boost and spawn new, independent businesses in the city centre.
What do people think to these schemes? Are there any more going on that I have missed?
The location earmarked for Red square
I personally think that there are some great ideas aforementioned. However I would like to state my concerns that there are some lovely architectural buildings of the Victorian period amongst the empty ones and I wouldn’t like to see them demolished.
Sheffield suffered enough from the blitzing of WW2 which has resulted in some atrocious buildings rising from the ashes over the last 3 decades! We need to retain our architectural heritage as much as possible.
I like the idea of the Red square, as it plays off Division Street, helping to extend and diversify growth in what is already an excellent part of the city. Apart from that, the best action that anybody in Sheffield can do is campaign to encourage Hammerson’s to give up the plans for Sevenstone. They’re unlikely to go ahead with the scheme for a while, but will continue to hold the area empty. If they dropped out though, a new plan more sympathetic to the urban fabric and the to city center as a whole could take its place.
As the long reply has been removed here is a link http://projectsheffield.wordpress.com/2009/10/14/from-1989-to-sevenstone/ it needs to be said the land where this plan is proposed is where there was art studios we was given 48 hours notice to move out, are we heading towords what is happening in Bradford http://projectsheffield.wordpress.com/2009/10/29/rooftop-protest-against-bradford-odeon-demolition/
Sheffield is a really great city, but, in my mind, I want it to improve – to become truly innovative and ‘strong’. Sheffield has ‘heart’, it always has; it used to have the prosperity of steel, now there is a city divide, and some wastelands to the east – Sheffield needs a new ‘thing’ – not steel, but something that will give it International respect, new prosperity and ‘strength’.
I think the RED-SQUARE proposal is a very good idea – I see it as a good step in a good direction.
[Point taken from the above comments that we must not destroy all the beautiful old buildings. There are some that should go and this should be done carefully.]
I have always walked past the old arcade on Cambridge Street and thought it should be re-developed into small offices and art-spaces. Its a real shame because developers cant or wont see the value in that, I fear it will be knocked down soon.and cambridge street will become a generic high street like any other in the UK,
Hopefully the credit crunch has saved it?
Red square. Great idea. The idea that it’s temporary and could Hereford be moved to another site gives it real chameleon like qualities. Hope they keep it well left of centre, subversive and skewed in it’s philosophy. The location itself is perfect. Off the beaten track. You gotta look for it. No high street frontage. Nice touch. Hope even once it’s done you still might not be quite sure if you’ve found the right place. No massive banners saying “WELCOME TO RED SQUARE”. Please. Good luck. Just what Sheff needs right now I reckon. A city of small makers. Now they’ll have a forum for their skills and wares! Bring on Red Square!!
check this out, over Hunters Bar way, quite interesting..
http://www.vimeo.com/3444777