Sheffield Retail Quarter (ex-"Sevenstone") MEGATHREAD

[Tony]

This whole 'pepperpot building' issue really shows up some very poor and narrow thinking within some circles. As many have pointed out, it's nothing of particular interest. Nice yes but worth screwing up major scheme? No.

[pete_jim]

Why would the council charge less than the market rent? They exist in the commercial world just like Hammerson. There may be an interesting subsidy model but I wouldn't expect it under current circumstances.

 

I said the council could charge fairer rents in order to encourage more independent shops to take units in the town centre. I'm certainly not expecting it. Why would they, you ask? Because they are supposedly interested in creating a vibrant city centre.

 

According to most of the replies on any post about Sheffield town centre this involves a wealth of small independent retailers, oh and a Selfridges, Harvey Nicks etc.

 

The council have every opportunity, having financed the CPO of a lot of the property, to take the lead. The council won't because they don't have access to the funds, at least not at anything like a favourable rate of interest. Nor do they have the skllls or entrepreneurial vision that would get something like this onto the starting blocks.

 

The people that could, have battled like mad over the last 20 or 30 years and set up or kept running all manner of companies in, around and outside Sheffield, creating jobs, cleaning up derelict buildings and, heaven forbid, earning profits, sometimes vast, for themselves.

 

They have kept themselves largely out of the way because as soon as you get involved with anything to do with local government it's like wading through porridge, you soon wish you really hadn't bothered. It's a legacy of many, many things not necessarily any particular political party's guiding hand. Personally I feel a lot is down to the vast army of civil servants shuffling paper, ticking boxes, dotting i's and making sure that they make it to pensionable age without too much trouble.

 

I hope that Hammersons and the Sevenstones development are never seen again, they are smelly leftovers from the credit fuelled boom which has done so much to damage the very fabric of our society.

[flantastico]

This whole 'pepperpot building' issue really shows up some very poor and narrow thinking within some circles. As many have pointed out, it's nothing of particular interest. Nice yes but worth screwing up major scheme? No.

 

The pepperpot building was only an example of the buildings threatened by the Sevenstone scheme. Others included the Bethel Street Chapel (a listed building), the former City Bar, the Tiger Works and the Trafalgar Works. The last two were in fact demolished before the scheme foundered. They were meant to make way for a multi-story car park which never got built.

Still, its all rather academic now. If Sevenstone goes ahead at all, it wont be in the form envisaged before the crash. It will be interesting to see what happens next.

Edited March 4, 2010 by flantastico

[beerbelly]

I assume many people know of the latest plans by Sheffield City Council to butcher our city centre and destroy our heritage.

I'm refering to the offensive Sevenstone development - quite simply, the most arrogant, ugly, and unimaginative set of 'plans' I have ever seen in my life.

Already, because of the Sevenstone monster, Sheffield City Council has overseen the demolition of the fire station in Wellington Street, a fine building, not even 25 years old, which will be much missed.

Couldn't they have converted it to a new use? look at the old Kenning's building, now the home of the Showroom Cinema.

There is something uplifting, stylish, exciting, sexy even, to give old buildings new uses in which the public can go in, participate and benefit - in the case of Kenning's, you can see a film or buy a drink at the Showroom bar.

Sheffield City Council never gave the fire station the chance of a new life - a disgrace - it could have made an excellent centre for new business accommodation at low rents, to get ventures launched and established, and be the incubator for new jobs.

It could have helped to stimulate and diversify Sheffield's economy.

But, thanks to our council, we will never know what it could have become.

In a time of world financial uncertainty, why commit to the monstrous Sevenstone scheme, a disaster in the making, which is bound to be half empty and soulless if it is ever built - so PLEASE help me to stop it in its tracks!!

Post on this thread if you are in support and want Sevenstone stopped - Sheffield City Council 'consultation' is a joke, a device to get public answers to support their own plans, so post here and we will provide some real consultation and opinion of our own.

Why oppose Sevenstone?

Sevenstone will lead to the demolition of a large number of fine old buildings (and perfectly re-useable modern ones) in the Cambridge Street and Pinstone Street area, including the lovely old Bethel Sunday School.

Go and see it, the likes of this building will never be built again in Sheffield. It is steeped in history, used by generations of Sheffielders, many of them children of the working class poor.

Why replace a building like this, full of social history and the essential character which makes Sheffield unique, and replace it with another dreary identikit shopping mall, nowhere-ville, selling nothing but imported goods from China, the sort of thing which would look no different to other shopping developments all over the UK and beyond.

Sheffield does not have many historic buildings left, and before the council destroys any more much-loved and meaningful places to us Sheffielders - such as the Sportsman pub in Cambridge Street - please help to stop this Sevenstone scheme.

With the present buildings and street plan, Sheffield City Council could commission a sustainable and popular scheme to give exciting new uses to the buildings already there. Be imaginative, creative, and keep the sense of place.

For example, why demolish the Grosvenor House Hotel, another important building, a landmark, a site which helps define Sheffield?

The hotel has also been an important contributor to the World Snooker Championships at the Crucible over the years given the number of top snooker players that have stayed there.

This building could easily be refurbished inside and out and given a new lease of life. Why demolish it. It is just senseless.

Have a look at the Sevenstone plans, you can easily find them on Google, they really are horrific.

And then look at the Hallamshire Historic Buildings Society website for comment from real Sheffielders about the scheme.

Sheffield City Council has a disgraceful recording of destroying our city's heritage. Look on the excellent Picture Sheffield website and look at beautiful old pictures of the Royal Hospital in West Street, and St Paul's Church in Pinstone Street, two amazing buildings which were lost with the full support of our so-called council.

Don't let the council ruin what is left of our past. Post on this thread, give opinions, there is still time to make a difference!!

Thanks for reading, over to you ...

[BananaSplit]

Times change and as such I'm completely behind the Sevenstone programme.

[beerbelly]

I agree with the the posts in support of the Pepperpot building.

We will never see the likes of the Pepperpot ever built in Sheffield again, so why demolish it?

If Bath, Harrogate and Durham can make old buildings work, why can't Sheffield?

Keep our unique buildings and with some imagination give them a new lease of life.

Look at Trippet's Wine Bar on Trippet Street as an example, the Pepperpot could make an excellent wine bar, reastaurant and house small specialist shops.

Come on Sheffield City Council, keep our heritage!!

[rubydazzler]

I never knew it was being called that! When did that happen?

[six45ive]

Times change and as such I'm completely behind the Sevenstone programme.

 

Times change and as such I'm completely against the Sevenstone programme which will further change Sheffield into a 'could be anywhere city'.

Let's not have change for changes sake, let's have genuine improvements dictated by quality materials, uniqueness of design whilst being fitting for the environment that a development finds itself in.

[Guest makapaka]

Times change and as such I'm completely against the Sevenstone programme which will further change Sheffield into a 'could be anywhere city'.

Let's not have change for changes sake, let's have genuine improvements dictated by quality materials, uniqueness of design whilst being fitting for the environment that a development finds itself in.

 

Absolutely. I'm not for stopping a redevelopment. But it should be sympathetic to what we already have. I wouldn't shed a tear to see the grosvenor hotel go, and i'm not bothered about the fire station like the OP, but some of the other buildings will be a massive loss.

 

I know the fortune of the economy wasn't known when the scheme was envisaged but that end of town is so depressing now with the closed shops.

 

The owner of Henrys should be applauded for his initiative in raising that from the ashes.

 

In light of the economy, the whole scheme should be revisited with better consultation with Sheffielders and find a compromise that revitalises the bad bits but keeps what is already good.

[Paul2412]

I assume many people know of the latest plans by Sheffield City Council to butcher our city centre and destroy our heritage.

I'm refering to the offensive Sevenstone development - quite simply, the most arrogant, ugly, and unimaginative set of 'plans' I have ever seen in my life.

Already, because of the Sevenstone monster, Sheffield City Council has overseen the demolition of the fire station in Wellington Street, a fine building, not even 25 years old, which will be much missed.

Couldn't they have converted it to a new use? look at the old Kenning's building, now the home of the Showroom Cinema.

There is something uplifting, stylish, exciting, sexy even, to give old buildings new uses in which the public can go in, participate and benefit - in the case of Kenning's, you can see a film or buy a drink at the Showroom bar.

Sheffield City Council never gave the fire station the chance of a new life - a disgrace - it could have made an excellent centre for new business accommodation at low rents, to get ventures launched and established, and be the incubator for new jobs.

It could have helped to stimulate and diversify Sheffield's economy.

But, thanks to our council, we will never know what it could have become.

In a time of world financial uncertainty, why commit to the monstrous Sevenstone scheme, a disaster in the making, which is bound to be half empty and soulless if it is ever built - so PLEASE help me to stop it in its tracks!!

Post on this thread if you are in support and want Sevenstone stopped - Sheffield City Council 'consultation' is a joke, a device to get public answers to support their own plans, so post here and we will provide some real consultation and opinion of our own.

Why oppose Sevenstone?

Sevenstone will lead to the demolition of a large number of fine old buildings (and perfectly re-useable modern ones) in the Cambridge Street and Pinstone Street area, including the lovely old Bethel Sunday School.

Go and see it, the likes of this building will never be built again in Sheffield. It is steeped in history, used by generations of Sheffielders, many of them children of the working class poor.

Why replace a building like this, full of social history and the essential character which makes Sheffield unique, and replace it with another dreary identikit shopping mall, nowhere-ville, selling nothing but imported goods from China, the sort of thing which would look no different to other shopping developments all over the UK and beyond.

Sheffield does not have many historic buildings left, and before the council destroys any more much-loved and meaningful places to us Sheffielders - such as the Sportsman pub in Cambridge Street - please help to stop this Sevenstone scheme.

With the present buildings and street plan, Sheffield City Council could commission a sustainable and popular scheme to give exciting new uses to the buildings already there. Be imaginative, creative, and keep the sense of place.

For example, why demolish the Grosvenor House Hotel, another important building, a landmark, a site which helps define Sheffield?

The hotel has also been an important contributor to the World Snooker Championships at the Crucible over the years given the number of top snooker players that have stayed there.

This building could easily be refurbished inside and out and given a new lease of life. Why demolish it. It is just senseless.

Have a look at the Sevenstone plans, you can easily find them on Google, they really are horrific.

And then look at the Hallamshire Historic Buildings Society website for comment from real Sheffielders about the scheme.

Sheffield City Council has a disgraceful recording of destroying our city's heritage. Look on the excellent Picture Sheffield website and look at beautiful old pictures of the Royal Hospital in West Street, and St Paul's Church in Pinstone Street, two amazing buildings which were lost with the full support of our so-called council.

Don't let the council ruin what is left of our past. Post on this thread, give opinions, there is still time to make a difference!!

Thanks for reading, over to you ...

 

Completely disagree. Most of town is a complete eyesore that retailers do not want to operate in. Sevenstone will change that.

 

I'm looking forward to the completion of it which will make town a much better place to both live and visit.