City Centre Wickes Store to Close in August

[AndrewC]

2 hours ago, SheffieldForum said:

Sheffield Wickes Site likely to be Transformed into Housing Development

 

The site of the soon-to-close Wickes store on Moore Street in Sheffield is set for a significant transformation. Sheffield City Council has earmarked the location for a major residential development as part of its long-term urban regeneration strategy.

New Housing Plans

 

The Wickes site, located near The Moor, is designated as a priority location for housing in Sheffield's Local Plan, as previously noted in the ‘Moorfoot Masterplan’ thread.

 

According to the plan, the site is expected to deliver 364 new flats. This move aligns with the council's broader vision to rejuvenate the city centre and accommodate significant residential growth.

 

A planning appraisal for the site states: “Given its position within a Flexible Use Zone, loss of the existing retail use is acceptable.” This indicates a strategic shift from commercial to residential use, aiming to maximize the area’s potential for housing.

Strategic Urban Development

 

The redevelopment of the Wickes site is part of Sheffield City Council's ambitious Local Plan, which guides the city’s future development up to 2039. The plan identifies the Moorfoot area as having the potential to become a new residential neighbourhood. It estimates that 2,180 new flats could be created in this area alone, including 714 in the council’s Moorfoot offices.

 

Overall, the council aims to create 18,465 homes in the central area between 2022 and 2039, anticipating an influx of 35,000 new residents. This initiative is a crucial element of the city's strategy to address housing shortages and promote urban living.

 

Broader Regeneration Efforts

 

The potential redevelopment of the Wickes site is just one aspect of a larger effort to revitalise Sheffield’s city centre.
 

The Local Plan includes three major masterplans for new residential neighbourhoods: Sheffield Station Campus, Moorfoot, and Furnace Hill and Neepsend. These plans, developed in collaboration with Homes England, aim to provide almost 3,000 new homes and support various commercial and cultural activities.

 

Council leader Tom Hunt emphasized the importance of these projects in bringing life back to the city centre. He stated that the plans are part of a vision to build a variety of housing types, including affordable family homes, in the city centre.

Challenges and Opportunities

 

While the closure of Wickes has raised concerns about the impact of the Clean Air Zone on local businesses, the planned transformation of the site into a residential area would reflect the broader shift towards sustainable urban development.

 

The council's initiative to repurpose commercial spaces for housing is seen as a strategic move to meet the growing demand for residential properties in Sheffield whilst ensuring a viable and sustainable city centre.

 

 

 

That's just a local plan vision of what the expected future development of the area would or could look like. These kinds of local plans always exist in cities, and only really have a bearing on informing planning application decisions as and when they arise.

 

This vision itself would not have any bearing on why Wickes have now decided to close or what the land/building owners choose to do now.

 

In fact, someone over on Skyscrapercity.com says they spoke to some of the staff at Wickes and they think The Range are going to open a store in a few months... The Range - Furniture, Bedding, Curtains, Crafts, DIY, Garden & More

 

so - as a building - it may not being going anywhere yet. Bear in mind that countless residential developments with planning approval have all stalled in Sheffield in the last few years due to both local and national conditions not being right for the developer - until Labour can get house building nationwide going again, there's no likelihood of a new development here just yet.

 

[Planner1]

32 minutes ago, RollingJ said:

So, the store is closing due to the city 'masterplan' - nothing to do with its performance.

No, the owners are deciding to close it for whatever business reasons they may have.

 

The masterplan for the area and the Local Plan are planning policy documents which set out the allowable uses for land in that area. As such, they don’t force existing uses to change, they just set out what uses the council is likely to give planning consent for in the future.

 

The land is likely to have a greater value if housing can be built on it, so it’s understandable that the owners might want to get consent for apartments now that there is a change of use opportunity.

[RollingJ]

1 minute ago, Planner1 said:

No, the owners are deciding to close it for whatever business reasons they may have.

 

The masterplan for the area and the Local Plan are planning policy documents which set out the allowable uses for land in that area. As such, they don’t force existing uses to change, they just set out what uses the council is likely to give planning consent for in the future.

 

The land is likely to have a greater value if housing can be built on it, so it’s understandable that the owners might want to get consent for apartments now that there is a change of use opportunity.

Fair enough - although @AndrewC has posted an interesting comment above.

[spilldig]

On 15/07/2024 at 10:46, geared said:

There aren't any doors onto the Moorfoot, what are you on about?

 

The place only has one customer entrance.

If you look at the original plan doors to Moorfoot were in. If you look at the design of the building from the Moorfoot side you can see where the doors were set to be. Not "on about", just discussing.

[SheffieldForum]

29 minutes ago, spilldig said:

If you look at the original plan doors to Moorfoot were in. If you look at the design of the building from the Moorfoot side you can see where the doors were set to be. Not "on about", just discussing.

Indeed - it was built with a configuration that would make creating an entrance on the Fitzwilliam Gate side easy if needed.

 

It was never an intention of the original build to actually have that entrance (and indeed offices and the warehouse was placed internally blocking it without major changes), but the option was there if they ever sought to reconfigure the store in future.

[redruby]

On 15/07/2024 at 16:46, AndrewC said:

 

 

I've used Wickes plenty of times for things that fit inside a small carrier bag or backpack? Still though, not many people are using it for small stuff and I doubt they're putting off much custom by not having a Moor-facing entrance.

 

Me too but Wickes would have gone bust long ago if they were relying on customers walking in for small items.  I don’t know why this is even mentioned in this thread as that isn’t their target market and never has been.  Most customers would drive there and a lot are trade using a van.  It’s most likely a number of factors are causing the closure but I don’t suppose the CAZ has helped matters.