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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Devonshire Green’s dancing digger

27 09 2008

Transports Exceptionnels start their tour in the Sheffield sunshine

Over the last couple of days the freshly-revamped Devonshire Green has played host to a dancing mechanical digger with accompanying dance partner.

Devonshire Green's dancing digger

Hanging on: Phillipe Priasso

I joined a packed crowd this afternoon to watch the choreographed routine unfold between French dancer Phillipe Priasso and his mechanical digger, to the background sound of opera singing.

I have no knowledge or real appreciation of dance, except when I am forced to watch Strictly Come Dancing on a Saturday night, and although sceptical beforehand, I was quite impressed by the end.

The show lasted about 20 minutes, during which we saw the relationship between one man and his digger unfold, each mimicking the other and the digger taking on a life of its own, reminiscent of an animal or dinosaur.

I don’t know whether it was Danceworks or the council that took the lead in organising this, but it was good to see this kind of event in Sheffield, especially one being used to help showcase a regenerated site in town.

Devonshire Green digger dancer

Transports Exceptionnels on Devonshire Green

Here is a video of a similar performance on the South Bank in London last year:


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On the up: Sheffield and its newest tallest building

10 09 2008

The city’s skyline is set for more change

It has been reported today that the Velocity Tower development near the bottom of the Moor has been given the go-ahead to rise to 31 storeys, making it Sheffield’s tallest building.

As I said in a previous post, I welcome a building that will make the city’s skyline a bit more distinctive. It may not be a work of art, but for me it is a sign that the city is quite literally on the up.


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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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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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Ten ways to improve Sheffield (part one)

1 07 2008

Part one of a two part post, identifying ways that the city can be improved. Here are numbers one to five (not in any order)

Sort out the traffic congestion
 Is traffic congestion in Sheffield really that bad? According to this report Sheffield traffic is in the top 10 slowest-moving in the UK. If South Yorkshire is looking to further develop its economy by attracting business investment on an international level and also ensuring that its potential as a tourist destination is fulfilled, the road infrastructure must improve. As part of this, the problem of car access around the station must also be addressed, as the good impression visitors get from Sheaf square is soon forgotten once you are embroiled in the gridlock on the way out.

Focus on the city’s digital strategy
City leaders are recognising the importance of developing Sheffield’s digital and creative industries with the development of the Digital Campus, but the strategy needs to be more wide-ranging than this. We need to work further to encourage residents, businesses and community groups to embrace the technologies on offer in order to create a digitally-literate population. In Birmingham, a Get into digital festival took place in June as part of the Digital Birmingham initiative, aiming to “help make the transition from an industrial city to a digital one by driving forward the use of these technologies in order to increase prosperity, knowledge and quality of life of its citizens.” This is definitely something to Sheffield to consider…can we afford not to?

Grow the city centre as an after-work destination
The council has been working hard at promoting Wednesday night live in the city centre. It has recognised a need for the city centre to become a viable option for post-work and evening recreation. For too long, Sheffield has become a ghost town after the shoppers and workers have gone home, with people not feeling compelled to stay in the city centre. There is potential for expanding the after-work economy, but it needs the support of Sheffield citizens, not just the local authority and businesses.

Attract more quality restaurants to the city centre
Every week in the Sheffield Telegraph I enjoy seeing what the interviewee in the Food For Thought Q&A column says in answer to the ‘What do you think of Sheffield as a place to eat out?’ question. The most positive answer seems to be that Sheffield’s restaurant scene is improving but few people have much to shout about. There are good restaurants across the region but many of these in the suburbs or out in Derbyshire, and for every highly-rated one that opens, another closes. A limited number of chain restaurants is acceptable, but Sheffield also needs more high quality restaurants in the city centre, particularly ones that stay open late to cater, for example, for the post-theatre/gig/concert crowds. Which brings me onto…

Introduce a night bus services on key routes
If the evening/night economy were to expand then would it be worth trialling a night bus service? Currently, many routes finish around 11pm, and with town pubs now generally open later than this, I think there would be a demand for buses every half hour on key services out of the city throughout the night. The impact on Sheffield taxi drivers would need to be carefully assessed, but it would certainly help the queues and scramble for cabs in the early hours of the morning when demand outstrips supply.

Parts 6-10


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Categories : arts, bands, council, development, digital industries, food, live, music, promotions, regeneration, restaurants, sheffield, technology, transport

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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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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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

Victoria quays and the Sheffield city centre masterplan

17 04 2008

An updated version of the masterplan details plans for how one redeveloped but undervalued corner of the city may finally be properly integrated with Sheffield city centre

The other day I downloaded a copy of the Sheffield city centre masterplan executive summary (1.5Mb, PDF) - the full 122-page, 3.2Mb PDF is also available if you fancy some hefty bedtime reading.

It begins by looking at what has been achieved since the original masterplan was unveiled in 2000, which by all accounts is impressive. In the last 10 years, parts of the city centre have changed almost unrecognisably, with the creation of several world-class urban spaces of which Sheffielders can be proud.

As the updated masterplan recognises, there is still plenty to do though. One of the projects that caught my eye was the continuing plans for the Victoria quays canal basin area.

From 1992–1994, this area was redeveloped, with warehouses restored, offices built and a marina created on one side of the basin. Shops, pubs, restaurants and hotels set up business and a number of residential developments have also since been located there.

The problem is, although the regeneration of Victoria quays is impressive, hardly anyone I know actually bothers to go down there. Other cities such as Newcastle, Liverpool and even Salford have redeveloped their quay sides to create leisure destinations for the day and night, but for some reason Sheffield’s canal basin has never properly caught on as a place to spend significant time and money.

I think one issue is the perceived distance of Victoria quays from the city centre. Although not actually that far, unless you shop in the markets area, the canal basin doesn’t really appear on your radar. Plus of course it is on the other side of Park square roundabout, which doesn’t help.

The good news is that with the new masterplan, it looks like planners in the city are recognising the importance of integrating this waterside area with the centre of town. It is proposed that a new pedestrian spine route will connect Victoria quays and Fargate to form part of a “new pedestrian axis” through the city centre.

What’s more, a new destination is to be created, which will include Victoria Square, a park around the ruins of Sheffield castle, contemporary architecture and existing heritage buildings.

All this bodes well and suggests that Victoria quays may yet become a place that is no longer considered too far out of the way for people to visit, and one that contributes further to the regeneration of the city.

Map of proposed Victoria Quays/Castlegate development, Sheffield


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