Amended Park Hill plans tipped for approval

Urban Splash and partner Places for People want to deliver 125 apartments at the Duke Street block as the redevelopment of the listed estate nears completion.

Sheffield City Council’s planning & highways committee will be asked to approve the proposals on 7 November.

With an outline consent granted for the phased redevelopment of Park Hill in 2006, much of it now caried out, full consent was given in 2019 for a 95-apartment fourth phase also including education space, artist studios, flexible workspace and an extension to house an art gallery.

However, with the partners unable to find a backer for the gallery element, this consent elapsed in 2022.

Proposed now is a scheme with 4,842 sq ft of commercial space at ground floor, in two units, including the former Link pub. S1 Artspace will continue to occupy the nearby podium block, which is not included in this application. .

Mikhail Riches is the project architect. The professional team also includes Made it Together, landscape architect Austin-Smith: Lord, Broadfield Project Management, Booth King, Beechfield Consulting Engineers, Rawling Safety and Salus.

In the plans submitted by Mikhail Riches, the plans show that ground floor space will now be retained as residential, rather than converted, with a townhouse typology being followed.

The development team said that the light touch approach used in phase two will be used here, reconfiguring flats to a more modern style and introducing more colour to the design.

There will be 27 one-bedroom homes, 77 two-bedroom homes, 20 three-bedroom homes and one four-bedroom home. The phase will include 20% affordable homes, and 65 car parking spaces are included.

Mikhail Riches is leading on the redesign of the Duke Street apartments. Credit: planning documents

As there will be no significant alterations made to the listed building’s exterior, any approval need not be referred to the Secretary of State. However, around 140 objections have been made, with comments including reservations about the changes to greenspace, and the imposition of more car parking. Tweaks have been made following this feedback.

Those who had raised concerns include Cycle Sheffield, the Transpennine Trail Partnership and Sustrans.

As noted in the planning officers’ report to committee, Sheffield cannot currently demonstrate a five-year housing supply, the titled balance in favour of approval should apply.

Officers note: “The proposed 125 dwellings would represent a substantial contribution to the city’s housing stock and are considered to be of a high quality in terms of indoor and outdoor space, as well as achieving a positive mix of unit types.”

Park Hill redevelopment – the story in five parts

• Phase one: 260 homes and 30,000 sq ft of commercial space delivered along with Grace Owen nursery.
• Phase two: 195 homes and around 20,000 sq ft of commercial space
• Phase three: 350 student bedspaces delivered, in a departure from the original masterplan, along with 4,000 sq ft of commercial space.
• Phase four: subject of the current application, situated to the east of the site with three flanks fronting Duke Street – the rear of the site as approached from Sheffield station.
• Phase five: the southern area of the estate, this will be the final element of the project.

The plans can be viewed on Sheffield’s planning portal with the reference 23/01960/FUL.

• This story was updated on 1 November with information relating to affordable homes and parking spaces