'I bought into city redevelopment - now I'm surrounded by empty shops'

Tim Nye's coffee shop is surrounded by empty units

The owner of a business which has been open during construction work on a major regeneration scheme has said he is now "surrounded" by empty shops and little footfall.

Half of the retail units in Sheffield's £470m city centre redevelopment are still vacant a year after building work finished.

Of the 69 units in the Heart of the City, only 35 are occupied, according to figures from Sheffield City Council. There are 25 vacant and nine under offer from potential tenants.

The council said it would announce more "exciting openings" in the coming weeks and months.

Empty units at Sheffield's Heart of the City development

The spaces are earmarked for leisure, hospitality, retail and offices and include well-known buildings such as the old Gaumont Cinema, Bethel Chapel and Henry's Bar.

The development is also bordered by the closed John Lewis, Debenhams and Monki stores.

Tim Nye opened his coffee shop Marmadukes five years ago and traded while the new development was being built around him. He is now surrounded by empty units.

He said: "It's really disappointing and a worry. It's not what we expected, it's not been easy.

"When I first spoke about taking this unit I was told that HSBC would have a bank next door to me, which sounded great, that's lots of footfall, but it didn't happen.

"A boost came when Sostrene Grene opened next door to us and the Cambridge Street Collective food hall also helped a little bit when it opened.

"Obviously we want neighbours, we have this bright new city centre, and I've spoken to a few people who said they've been looking at units but it's just not happened. The unit opposite has been empty now five years.

"We were told the council wanted really good independents to be in this area but for whatever reason, they've not come. It's a shame."

Mr Nye said it had felt like a "battle" at times.

"The councillors really care but I think developing an area like this is such a huge undertaking. They need funding but also really need people who have a vision and that commercial knowledge to make it happen.

"I'm not saying it's all bad, but it speaks for itself when these units are empty."

Kyle Barley manages The Cream Store

Kyle Barley is manager of The Cream Store and is more optimistic.

"We've been here since October after we saw an opportunity with the Heart of the City development.

"Sheffield has always been on our radar as a company because we felt there was untapped opportunity within the city centre and so far, we're happy to say that we've been right in our choice.

"We have found footfall steady, we can have busy periods. In the beginning, it was quiet during the week but traffic has been OK recently.

"Obviously, to see some of the units filled would be advantageous to us and bring more people."

Sheffield City Council said Heart of the City continued to grow in popularity, attracting businesses and drawing people into the city centre.

Councillor Ben Miskell, chairman of the regeneration committee, said: "I'm incredibly proud of the fantastic mix we have, not only in terms of big national names sitting alongside incredible local brands, but also in terms of the retail, office, residential and leisure offering we have.

"We're not finished though, businesses are still incredibly keen to be involved, and we will be announcing more exciting openings in the coming weeks and months."

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