Fargate Redevelopment

[Guest]

I went through Fargate on Monday, it’s starting to look better, new paving laid  at the top of Fargate, still barriers up, but getting there.

[hackey lad]

1 hour ago, Lizzie b said:

I went through Fargate on Monday, it’s starting to look better, new paving laid  at the top of Fargate, still barriers up, but getting there.

That’s nice to hear  

[WarPig]

23 hours ago, ads36 said:

i think i know this one!

 

(i have friends who work in the construction industry, and they communicate, inter-company, via some kind of hive-mind)

 

the initial estimate/tender said £Xmillion (?)

 

when it came time to start signing contracts, the construction company said 'did we say £Xmillion? - we've had another look at it, and now it's X+50% - we assume that won't be a problem?'

 

so SCC told them that yes, it was going to be a problem, so it had to be re-scoped, and put back out to tender...

 

it seems to me that's exactly how we want SCC to behave when a contractor plays that kind of game....

 

(low-ball the tender, then ramp it up just before closing the contract, in the hope that the impending deadlines help force the issue)

 

When the tender contract is agreed by all parties, wouldn't the contractor be contractually obliged to carry out the works at the agreed price?

 

[ECCOnoob]

1 hour ago, WarPig said:

When the tender contract is agreed by all parties, wouldn't the contractor be contractually obliged to carry out the works at the agreed price?

 

Depends how the contracts are worded. But there will nearly always be some sort of clauses or exclusions depending on variables. 

 

After all, no company is going to lock themselves into a fixed price, if there could potentially risk being two-three years delay between signing of contracts and work starting. All sorts of things could have changed in between including the cost of materials, cost of Labour, wages, land prices, even change of government could have impact.  

Edited May 3 by ECCOnoob

[SquirrelFeeder]

Went to use the postbox outside Boots the other day but it has vanished where did it go to ?

[RollingJ]

9 hours ago, SquirrelFeeder said:

Went to use the postbox outside Boots the other day but it has vanished where did it go to ?

Post box outside Boots - on Fargate? When did you last go into the city centre? I haven't seen one there for years.

[SheffieldForum]

18 minutes ago, RollingJ said:

Post box outside Boots - on Fargate? When did you last go into the city centre? I haven't seen one there for years.

It was there just a couple of years ago:

 

 

It is also currently listed as a postbox location on the map site here: https://postboxes.dracos.co.uk/#18/53.38227/-1.46837

 

Presumably it has been removed during the current works? May be replaced after?

[SheffieldForum]

In fact, you can see it still there IN the works on this YouTube video filmed just 4 weeks ago:

 

[RollingJ]

So you can - must admit I've never noticed it, but then, if I  wanted a postbox, I'd probably use one closer to home. 😉

Not  only that, if I'm walking around  in the city centre, I'm usually watching where everyone else is going, as a great many of them walk around oblivious.

[SheffieldForum]

Huge new update from the Council:

 

 

Work is well underway to turn this historic street into a Fargate for the future. When finished, it will be a central destination for eating, drinking, socialising, co-working, and culture.

 

 

Public realm (street scene)

An update from Sisk, the contractors carrying out the reconstruction of Fargate.

Sisk have currently completed around 30% of the work and are aiming to finish the public realm by early 2025, with most of the work completed before Christmas 2024.

What's already happened:

• Excavations and underground works on the Lush/Hotel Chocolat side of the road are complete, including statutory diversions. Sisk will return in the summer to remove the temporary tarmac and pave this area. This is done last so they can work on the sustainable urban drainage systems (SuDS) down the centre of Fargate without damaging new paving.
• The area outside Virgin Money has been repaved and new bollards have been installed around the paved section. This area is now opened up with small areas of tarmac to be repaved by hand close to bollards and trees.
• Outside Barclays, two tree pits have been dug and prepared ready for planting during tree planting season in November.
• The area outside HMV has been paved.
• Sections of paving have been completed outside Superdrug and Sisk will progress outside Vision Express and the corner of Norfolk Row.

 

What's coming up within the next three months:

• Outside Barclays, between Barkers Pool and Pinstone Street, Sisk are continuing the length of bollard installations. Here, they're installing a mixture of fixed and removable bollards for part-time vehicle access points. Following bollard installation, they'll be upgrading the paving here.
• Outside the Town Hall, Sisk are raising the carriageway to create a large, flat event space, and installing a shared surface for cyclists and servicing/delivery vehicles.
• From Surrey Street to the corner of Norfolk Row, Sisk will be paving outside shops and buildings, including Tiger Sugar and H&M.
• From the Corner of Norfolk Row to Superdrug, Sisk will be paving outside the hoarding of the old Next building, and Vision Express.
• Sisk will continue paving outside shops until this side of Fargate is complete.

The next phase will be to begin constructing the sustainable urban drainage systems (SuDS) down the centre of Fargate, before laying the paving on the opposite side of the road, outside Tesco, Lush, and Hotel Chocolat.
 

Event Central

Plans to turn the former Clintons building (20-26 Fargate) into a mixed-use cultural community hub are moving forward.

We will soon be working with the lead contractor, Willmott Dixon, and the preferred operator (to be announced soon) to review the designs and costs before the transformational work begins.

Front Door Scheme

The Front Door Scheme focuses on unlocking upper floors and improving access to key buildings on and around Fargate.

Orchard Square

With its £650,000 grant, Orchard Square revitalised its space. Works included new paving, an eye-catching canopy, and new lighting.

Montgomery Theatre

The Montgomery Theatre on Surrey Street received £495,000 to install a lift that will make the 138-year-old building accessible, opening up the upper floors, and improving the layout.

The theatre is currently closed while these works are carried out. Watch out for details of its reopening.

Ratoon (33-35 Fargate)

The inside of the old Topshop building next to M&S on Fargate has been totally transformed. Now a fully flexible city centre office space, it's available as a whole or on a floor-by-floor basis, complete with new lobby, lift, and a roof terrace.

Chapel Walk

Businesses on Chapel Walk have been awarded £1.24million to improve shop fronts and increase accessibility to the upper floors.

The Sheffield Church Burgesses Trust received £250,000 to improve its shop fronts and support works to improve access inside the building to create new workspace in the empty upper floor.

The Foundry Sheffield received £650,000 to improve its shop fronts, improve ground floor access, and reconfigure upper floors at Victoria Hall.

Small or new businesses will be able to apply for funding from a pot of £90,000 to move into empty shop units.

There will also be new public artworks to brighten up the space, using £250,000 of the funding.
 

 

ReNew

The ReNew project makes grants available to businesses in Sheffield for capital fit-out costs to transform under-used spaces on and around Fargate.

Juno Books on Chapel Walk, The Old Shoe and Gameshow Allstars in Orchard Square are some of the businesses that have already benefited.

A new round of funding will be announced imminently, when small businesses can apply for a grant of up to £35k. 
 

How Fargate's regeneration is funded

• The total amount of funding for the project is £33.6million.
• The project was awarded £15.8million by the Government's Future High Street Fund in December 2020.
• We (Sheffield City Council) committed £5million match funding.
• £900,000 has been allocated from the Getting Building Fund.
• South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) have approved a strategic business case for Sheffield which allocates £11.9m.
• The target is for the majority of work on Fargate to be complete in early 2025. 
• All the capital expenditure on the project is in accordance with Finance Committee approvals.

 

Fargate now has a mailing list with updates like this. Sign up here.