Big decision next week on new uses for Sheffield Cole Brothers building.
Plans to rebuild the historic Cole Brothers department store in Sheffield’s city centre into a multi-use venue with a rooftop terrace will move forward significantly next week.
The much-loved Barkers Pool building is proposed to be converted into a multipurpose multi-use facility that would house shops, restaurants and offices.
Urban Splash developers want the building’s interior design to be as versatile as feasible in order to attract as many investors as possible.
The Sheffield City Council’s planning and roads committee will be consulted next Tuesday (March 10).
The Modernist-style store, which is Grade II listed, opened in 1963 and was shuttered by the John Lewis Partnership in 2021 during the Covid shutdown, sparking widespread outrage.
The store greatly contributed to Sheffield’s notable mid-20th-century architectural legacy and post-war commercial optimism.
The building underwent regeneration as part of the Heart of the City 2 revitalisation program. It is located in the center of the area.
The Twentieth Century Society, Hallamshire Historic Buildings, Sheffield Conservation Advisory Group, and Historic England have expressed concerns over proposed alterations to the building’s facade.
These included opposition to removing the brown mosaic panels and relocating the windows to the Barkers Pool frontage.Get a bespoke headline round-up and breaking updates when you sign up to The Star’s free emails
Before any proposal may proceed, special listed building authorisation must be obtained.
Green Douglas Johnson, Ruth Mersereau, and Martin Phipps, city ward councillors, also broadly backed the “exciting” idea, but opposed the car park’s reopening. Burgess House Residents Association and Friends of Sheffield City Centre have similar concerns.
The suggestions would cut the number of parking spaces from 480 to 190, with EV charging outlets installed in 10% of them.There would also be 72 safe bicycle parking places and 34 guest spots.
Sheffield South East MP Clive Betts initially believed the building should be removed, but later changed his view and hoped the project would move forward fast.
Following a second round of discussions and revisions to the plans, the committee report stated that only Historic England commented. It believed that some of its concerns had been addressed.
According to a committee report, the emphasis is on offering as much flexibility as possible to entice future tenants while also supporting a variety of commercial, office, cultural, and leisure purposes.
“Individual units and elements of the building lend themselves to various purposes. The ground level, with wide store fronts and display units, is expected for food and beverage retail, with separate entrances on Cambridge Street and Parkers Pool.
Attractive
“The upper floors, with their big, open spaces, are expected to be suitable for office usage.”
At this time, it is planned that the existing rooftop plant room, which is currently empty and devoid of any equipment, would be converted into a food or drink establishment with an outside terrace.
“This will allow members of the public to access the roof of the building through a separate entrance off Cambridge Street and be independent to the lower floors below.”
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