Uni of Sheffield plots sporting revamp
The university has filed proposals for a 98,000 sq ft facility as it looks to redevelop its Goodwin Sports Centre campus off Northumberland Road.
Architect FaulknerBrowns and planner Montagu Evans are working with the University of Sheffield on the plans for the Goodwin Sports Centre.
As set out in the planning statement, the thrust of the project is the development of a sports centre complex including an indoor swimming pool, sports and fitness facilities, along with the demolition of the existing Goodwin South sports centre.
The project also encompasses the development of four small-sided football pitches, upgraded external floodlighting at the 11-a-side playing pitch, ancillary social spaces, vehicle and pedestrian access including a pedestrian link, hard and soft landscaping, external lighting, site clearance, associated infrastructure and ancillary works”.
Faulkner Browns expanded in its design & access statement: “The proposed development seeks to deliver a high-quality, inclusive and accessible sports environment for students, staff and the wider community, replacing ageing facilities and responding to the closure of the former swimming pool”.
FaulknerBrowns was appointed by the university in December 2023 for a feasibility study, following which it worked from July 2025 with a multidisciplinary design team towards Riba Stage 2.
That team also includes Gardiner & Theobald, Arup, HLM Architects, Turner & Townsend, and BSG Ecology. Montagu Evans is leading on planning.
The proposed development site is situated within the existing University of Sheffield Goodwin Sports site on the corner of Northumberland Road and Whitham Road, around two miles west of Sheffield city centre, three-quarters of a mile west of the main University campus, and across Northumberland Road from the Faculty of Social Sciences’ Wave development, where the educator owns a 3G pitch.
The proposed new sports centre is to be located on the footprint of the existing small sided pitches at Goodwin, allowing for the current indoor sports facilities to continue being used throughout construction.
Goodwin’s current facilities – with the pool closed permanently some years ago – include squash courts, a sports hall, a gym and three fitness studios. All are described as ageing.
In its stead are proposed:
- 10-lane, 25-metre swimming pool with a ‘floating’ floor
- Eight-court sports hall (maximum 500-person capacity for fire safety)
- Three squash courts
- Three fitness studios (Holistic, HIIT, and Spin)
- A 275-station fitness suite (current gym is under 200)
- Four flexible treatment rooms
The sports hall has been designed to accommodate a broad range of sports and events, with flexible layouts, retractable seating, divisible court space, event lighting, and provision for examinations and performance analysis. The swimming pool has been developed to maximise operational flexibility, accessibility and spectator experience, supporting activities including water polo, canoeing and sub-aqua sports, with integrated storage and specialist equipment provisions.
Montagu Evans summed up: “Goodwin Sports Centre will be a landmark facility and wider sports complex for the University of Sheffield. It will provide a new sports complex for students, in an accessible location with strong public transport connections and links to the wider University Campus.”
The scheme is just one of several big ticket leisure centre schemes afoot in Sheffield. Willmott Dixon was appointed formally last month by the city council to deliver the £40m Uriah Rennie Leisure Centre, replacing the old Springs facility on East Bank Road, while the local authority is also pumping £11m into modernising the Hillsborough Leisure Centre.
Documents relating to the university scheme can be viewed on Sheffield’s planning portal, using the reference 26/03278/FUL.
