New future for steel heartland after 40-year wait

The first stage of the Attercliffe Waterside development has been approved by councillors

The east end of Sheffield will finally be redeveloped 40 years after councillors first discussed it.

The first phase of the Attercliffe Waterside development to transform the city’s former steelworks heartland was approved by councillors on Tuesday.

Sheffield Council has partnered with developers Citu, who said Attercliffe would be as successful as the redevelopment of Kelham Island.

The initial stage is for 362 homes with commercial buildings, public space and a new footbridge on the Spartan Works on Attercliffe Road.

The site borders the Sheffield and Tinsley Canal, Staniforth Road and the Grade II listed Baltic Works, which is a surviving example of a Victorian crucible steelworks.

Councillor Laura Moynahan, who sits on the city council’s planning board, said: “This is a key plank of the regeneration of the east end of Sheffield in a way which is sympathetic to its heritage as well.

“I remember 40 years ago working on Attercliffe village with council officers and it is finally happening.

“It is crucial this is not just seen as a housing development as it brings together the canal and links with the new facilities such as the Olympic Legacy Park.”

How the old Adelphi cinema could be transformed

Many residents left Attercliffe following the decline of the steel industry and slum clearance and the council said it had a “poor image” because of the high volume of traffic, untidy open spaces and run-down empty buildings.

The local authority produced a detailed neighbourhood development report into the regeneration of the area as far back as 2007, but it was not until the council partnered with Citu in 2022 that progress began.

The whole Attercliffe Waterside scheme will be one of the largest zero carbon communities in the UK, spanning 23 acres and featuring more than 1,000 homes.

Plans say walking and cycling will be prioritised over cars, renewable energy will power the site and the homes will have timber frames and be built to reduce flooding and improve climate resistance.

Chris Thompson founder and co-director at Citu said: “Attercliffe Waterside will kickstart the wider regeneration of Sheffield’s east end.

“It’s an area steeped in history and our plans have been inspired by the heritage industries that were powered by the waterways running through it. The area presents huge opportunities from its location alongside the canal and the River Don, with green space, the Olympic Legacy Park and easy access to the city centre by tram in just 10 minutes."

Sheffield Council also received £17m in Levelling Up money to focus on a Centre for Child Health Technology and a new Adelphi Square, incorporating the old Grade II listed cinema, in Attercliffe.