Lights switch-on cancelled due to unsafe roadworks

Sheffield City Council has cancelled the Christmas lights switch-on

A council has cancelled its Christmas lights switch-on event for the second consecutive year and said it could not guarantee the "safety" of those attending.

Sheffield City Council said that construction work on Fargate meant it would be unsafe for large crowds to visit the centre at the same time.

Other Christmas activities would still take place, the council said, without the traditional countdown and switch-on outside the Town Hall.

The council added that the decision was not "made easily" but that spreading entertainment across a weekend was the "best option".

There have been lengthy delays with the work on Fargate

Councillor Martin Smith, chair of economic development, said: “The decision not to hold a traditional, large scale switch-on event wasn’t made easily, but the safety of residents and visitors will always be our priority and having entertainment spread across the whole weekend is the best option to ensure this.”

The Fargate improvement scheme is part of a £15.8m revival of the city centre funded by the government's Future High Streets programme. However, there have been delays to the work three years after the grant money was awarded.

The issues have been blamed on paving supplies, ground conditions and technical approval for new bins.

Tim Nye owns Marmaduke’s café on Norfolk Row, which connects to Fargate.

He said: “It's disappointing when anything is cancelled in Sheffield because it makes such a big difference, that footfall is absolutely essential.

“I would say sometimes it can make as much as 40% difference. Christmas is an important trading period for lots of people like ourselves.

“Sometimes when I am outside our site on Norfolk Row and I look up the street the road appears completely blocked off with little channels for people to walk down."

He added: “Fargate was the prime street in the city but it is a very different scenario now.”

After the cancellation of the 2023 event, the council rejected alternative host locations such as the Peace Gardens and Barker's Pool, which were deemed too small.

The Christmas programme includes markets on Town Hall Square, the Peace Gardens and The Moor. A big wheel from Fargate has been relocated to The Moor.

The markets run from 14 November until Christmas Eve and there will be performances and street entertainment on the weekend of 16 and 17 November.

The Christmas lights will be in place until 5 January.

Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North or tell us a story you think we should be covering here.