Sheffield Park Hill: £500,000 awarded for repair work

The estate opened in 1961, but by the 1980s was a magnet for antisocial behaviour

A block of flats said to be Europe's largest listed building has been awarded £500,000 for repair work.

The money, awarded by Historic England, will go towards the second phase of the redevelopment of Park Hill in Sheffield.

The funding is for structural repairs to parts of the concrete frame, some of which is crumbling, it said.

A further 195 homes will be created as part of phase two, developers said.

Park Hill is also known for a graffiti wedding proposal written on one of its bridges

Park Hill, which opened in 1961, aimed to recreate the community feel of the terraced housing its tenants came from.

The estate was dubbed the "streets in the sky", with walkways wide enough to accommodate a milk float, but by the 1980s the flats were dilapidated and the estate had become blighted by antisocial behaviour and crime.

Park Hill was referenced in the lyrics of Pulp's song Sheffield Sex City and was the setting for the Arctic Monkeys' video The View from the Afternoon.

John Paul Walker, from Historic England, said: "After years of decline and neglect, this housing estate is once more becoming a symbol of Sheffield's pride, innovation and ambition.

"Phase one has given Park Hill a new lease of life and restored its reputation. We hope phase two will continue this rejuvenation."

In phase one - pictured on the right - 260 new homes were built

Developers Urban Splash started work at the site in 2007, with 260 new homes built in phase one of the project.

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Shannon Maclaughlan, from the firm, said: "Park Hill is known worldwide for its Brutalist structure and signature concrete, so this support from Historic England is invaluable."

Work on the second phase of the project is due to be completed by June 2021.

Developer Urban Splash is due to start work on phase two of the project