City lofts St Paul’s tower cladding design row

20 11 2008

Standing your ground

You’ll have no doubt read about the current disagreement over the panels used on the outside of the City lofts St Paul’s tower development in town. In a nutshell, the council agreed a certain specification of cladding, which the developer then changed.

The council has stood firm and now crisis talks are taking place between both parties with the hope of resolving the issue. You can read the detail of the saga unfolding in the 196-page thread in the Sheffield Development Forum.

I was passing the development this week with my camera so took some photos which are below.

Despite it being a brilliant sunny day, the brown panels still looked a bit dingy. And as someone also pointed out in the discussion thread, if this is them at their best, how many clear sunny days will we get in Sheffield to see them like this?

Even with the sun directly reflecting off the side of the building, as shown in the bottom photo, it still has a dated look to me and reminds me a bit of a 70s London building that I used to work in and is about to be ripped down.

What do people think, should the council continue to stand its ground and demand an improved design, risking that the tower is left to stand empty or even be demolished?

cladding1

cladding2

City lofts St Paul's tower cladding


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Categories : architecture, council, design, development, environment, photos, planning, regeneration, sheffield

New Brooklyn bridge in Sheffield

14 11 2008

A bridge too far - for now

Last year a scheme was approved by councillors to build a replica of the world-famous Brooklyn bridge across the River Don in Sheffield. It was in recognition the city’s links with the Brooklyn bridge in New York, as apparently Sheffield steel manufacturer Andrews Toledo supplied the high-quality crucible steel used for its main hangers.

With most of the funding for the replica in place, all was progressing well until the catastrophic floods of June last year bought the project to a standstill.

I got in touch with Sheffield Industrial Museums Trust to find out the latest. Following the floods, the Environment Agency had to re-assess the river and has recently removed 8,000 tons of rubble and soil from around the weir and Kelham Island itself.

At the moment a new flood wall protection around Kelham is being designed and is scheduled to be built next year. This will affect the bridge design and so the two will have to be integrated, with the wall being built first.

We are reassured that there is is still strong support for the bridge, and in the meantime the funds set aside for the scheme have been invested in a high interest account with the council.

I really hope this project is realised before long. As the background story illustrates, the building of the New York Brooklyn bridge is a poignant and romantic tale, and you can’t help but think that the completion of the replica bridge - after the problems of its own - would be a fitting tribute to its inspirational and beautiful big sister over the pond.

Brooklyn bridge, New York

'Sunset on the Brooklyn Bridge'

Image by wenzday01 and used under Creative Commons license


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Categories : architecture, council, development, environment, planning, sheffield, walking

Another city centre shop to close

30 08 2008

Are the shops in town feeling the pinch?

You have probably already read that Racquets on Division Street is to close next week as owners John and Sue Howard are retiring and there are no interested buyers for the store. I only popped to Racquets occasionally, but I will miss it and it was another reason to go to town.

I’m a bit fed up of shops in town closing. Losing Fopp a couple of years ago was a massive blow (although it won’t have done the excellent Record Collector in Broomhill any harm), and with Gap being replaced by a bank, shopping trips to town are looking less and less compelling. I know those two were both chain stores, but I think a mix of independent and well-known outlets is a happy medium when it comes to shopping.

One reassuring fact is that the three examples here didn’t necessarily close because of Sheffield city centre’s ability to sustain the stores. However, the difficult economic conditions won’t have helped and the sooner the new retail quarter Sevenstone is built, the better. Fingers crossed that project won’t be delayed.


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Categories : city centre masterplan, planning, regeneration, sheffield, shopping, sport

View from the Moor

9 08 2008

See the hills from the Moor

Work continues apace on redevelopment of the Moor, and now that the buildings at the bottom have been almost cleared on the East-side, you get a clear view of St Mary’s church and the hills behind:

Photos like this must be reminiscent of how the Moor looked after the devastation of air raids in the Second World War.


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Should part of London Road become Chinatown?

17 05 2008

Would Sheffield’s Chinatown bring benefits to the city or create an ethnic ghetto?

Over the last few years there have been various reports regarding a proposal to officially designate an area of the city as Chinatown, although to date nothing concrete has been formally decided.

It is thought that any such development would be based around the London Road/Highfield area, a district that has traditionally been home for a number of Sheffield’s Chinese community. Three-and-a-half hectares has been earmarked for various restaurants, bars, a business centre and maybe a hotel.

Reactions to plan are varied. On one hand it is thought such an area would celebrate the neighbourhood’s diversity while developing tourism and boosting local businesses. Internationally, it could make Sheffield a more attractive proposition for Chinese investors, plus it may help draw in students from China to the city’s universities.

There are also reservations regarding the scheme and questions to be answered. London Road is presently home for multi-cultural mix of people from all over the world, so is it right to focus on one culture, creating an area just representing the Chinese? What would the impact be on a non-Chinese restaurant located within Chinatown?

Many of the famous Chinatowns of the world have been naturally created in port cities by immigrants; would manufacturing one in Sheffield be “fake”? Or does the fact that the idea has come from Sheffield’s Chinese community give it sufficient credibility? There is no mention of the scheme in the city centre masterplan, although of course not all of London Road is classed as being in the city centre.

In principal I’m cautiously in favour of the idea of Sheffield having a Chinatown, although it would need to be implemented with care and in full consultation with all existing residents, community groups, businesses and other stakeholders. If an agreeable and inclusive solution can be found then it could become an asset to the city.

Walking the dragon
Image by bits of rubble and used under Creative Commons license


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Categories : city centre masterplan, development, drink, food, planning, pubs, regeneration, restaurants, sheffield

The Moor, Sheffield

7 05 2008

The long-overdue and continued redevelopment of one of Sheffield’s pedestrianised shopping streets

As a child and teenager embarking on a shopping trip in town I would always get off the bus outside Sharps fruit shop, walk past Dempsey’s and the Moorfoot government building before turning right up the Moor.

Despite rebranding attempts over the years, the Moor has always been somewhat rundown, with an above-average proportion of pound shops and boarded-up shop fronts. It is amazing to think that in the 1980s Hamleys chose to open a store here (one of the first outside London). Unfortunately it didn’t hang around for long - and people speculate that it perhaps took Redgates down with it.

Walking up the Moor today presents you with contrasting impressions of deprivation mixed with the green shoots of renewal. More shops than ever are boarded up, market stalls stand eerily empty and the businesses that remain trading are quiet. However, the dated post-war buildings are being bulldozed, cranes are moving in and the area is set to be redeveloped into a shopping destination and home for the relocated Castle markets.

The city centre masterplan defines the Moor as “a retail area catering mainly for the ‘value goods’ end of the market but with several major anchor stores” and it seems that planners are content to position the precinct in this sector of the market.

Hopefully the new and improved Moor will be able to cater for this while fitting in properly with the rest of the developments taking place in neighbouring quarters.

Contrasting impressions of deprivation mixed with the green shoots of renewal


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Fargate in bloom

3 05 2008

The pedestrianised shopping street is paved with a carpet of colour

There was a continental market on Fargate on Thursday, offering a good range of cheeses, meats, snacks and goods. One extended stall was selling a wide selection of plants and flowers, which added a wonderful touch of colour to the pedestrianised area.

I’m sure that flowers in urban areas are hard to look after and prone to attack from the elements and vandalism, but does this offer any food for thought for town planners?

Fargate in bloom


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City of Sheffield walkabout - a photo tour (photos)

20 04 2008

A collection of images comparing 1970s Sheffield and the city centre in 2008

I previously wrote about the fascinating 1970s council publication that I got my hands on a few months ago. Produced by the Sheffield City Promotions Committee, it offered visitors a guided tour of the town centre featuring commentary, photos and a map, all for just 25p (around £2.50 at today’s prices).

Though all black and white, the photos give an insight into how the city used to look and I thought it would be an interesting exercise to take comparative shots in the present day and put them side by side.

The photos are below. I’ve tried to frame the 2008 shots as closely to the originals as possible, although I think a wide angle lens was used on some. The modern-day shots have also been converted to black and white.

The shot of the registry office, or “wedding cake” as it was nicknamed isn’t here, and due to the BBC outside broadcast units, the image of the Crucible isn’t really a fair comparison. I will revisit Tudor Square when the snooker is over and also when the theatre has been redeveloped.

Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : architecture, development, history, photography, photos, planning, regeneration, sheffield, walking

The two towers and the two Toms

3 04 2008

As the date of demolition draws nearer, the lead pro-towers campaigners have pulled out of discussions regarding replacement exhibit

Yesterday’s Guardian featured article about the impending demolition of the cooling towers and the story behind the campaign to save them.

I hadn’t realised that Eon had agreed to host a temporary installation inside the towers by Turner prize winning artist Anish Kapoor before U-turning on this decision in favour of the permanent replacement work of art. This was a further blow that understandably left Cooling the Towers campaigners Tom Keeley and Tom James feeling tired and disappointed.

The debate continues over what exactly the replacement work of art might be and whether the council is capable of collaborating on something worthy to sit in place of the towers. I think the planning department has certainly delivered some stunning public spaces in the city centre, and elements of these (for example the cutting edge in Sheaf square and the spheres near the Winter gardens) could also be classed as art.

Obviously the replacement project for the Tinsley towers needs to be something on a much larger scale than these flashes of artistic inspiration in the city centre, so delivering this will be a massive challenge that needs everyone on board.

I can understand the frustration that the two Toms are feeling over their project, but it seems a shame they have pulled out of the planning process for the replacement exhibit. Described by the council as “instrumental and inspirational”, surely their involvement would give us the greatest chance to fully unlock the potential of the location and be left with a relic that captures at least a small part of their original vision?

Tom and Tom: your city needs you - please get involved again!


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Categories : architecture, cooling towers, council, development, planning, regeneration, sheffield

Is Sheffield no longer the city that digital media forgot?

30 03 2008

Although there is still catching up to do, the city’s digital industries look set to blossom

In 2002, digital industry magazine New Media Age declared that Sheffield was the UK city that new media forgot. Was this a fair assessment back then - and more importantly, is it still the case now?

Sheffield has always been a creative place. Be it in pop music, graphic design, film, art, dance or theatre, the city has always attracted talented, creative and successful individuals who are at the cutting edge of what they do. But we have been slow to channel this creativity into viable and sustainable economic industries to replace our declining industrial heritage.

In the 80s and 90s we were quick off the mark with the Cultural Industries Quarter and Workstation, and both have been success stories. But as the creative digital industries have taken off in other large northern cities, it seems that Sheffield has been slower to fully embrace this fast-growing sector and as a result only a handful of digital agencies exist, with none in the 2007 New Media Age Top 100.

One positive trend is the niche that the city has carved itself in the e-learning sector, with a cluster of established businesses such as theWorkshop, Line, DESQ and more set to move in.

But the big factor that should help the continued growth of existing digital companies in Sheffield, as well as attracting new ones, is the proposed Sheffield Digital Campus in the city centre. The three-phase project has been talked about for several years but is now finally taking shape, with the flagship Electric Works building - featuring a spectacular slide to transport workers from the top floor to the foyer area - at the centre of the scheme.

As well as offering a creative heart in which the region’s digital companies can collaborate, foster a creative culture and thrive, what is exciting about this development is that it also projects a positive image to those looking outside, showing that the city is genuinely an exciting place to work, with the inherent creative energy here being channelled into a prosperous economic vision.


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Categories : cultural industries quarter, development, digital industries, media, planning, regeneration, sheffield