Halt listing ex-John Lewis shop, says Sheffield Council

The former John Lewis store was recognised for its post-war architecture by Historic England

Plans to list a former department store in Sheffield should be put on hold, the city council's leader has urged the government.

The ex-John Lewis site in Barker's Pool was recently granted Grade-II listed status by Historic England.

Council leader Terry Fox said the decision would "limit" redevelopment and had been "dropped" on the city with no consideration of local opinion.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has been contacted.

It made the ultimate decision to list the building which was recognised by the heritage group for its post-war architecture.

The site was occupied by Cole Brothers from 1963 before later becoming John Lewis, which closed in 2021.

In a letter to DCMS, Mr Fox said there had been seemingly no consideration of the wider financial or environmental implications of the decision, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The listing news halted demolition and redevelopment plans at the site

He said only its heritage had been considered, rather than economic factors - citing surveyors' estimates that £65m needed to be spent on the site, which would "pose challenges and make wholesale removal of the building near impossible" if it were listed.

Mr Fox said the government was "limiting what may be achievable" and potentially leaving the city's taxpayers with a costly building.

"We have had many expressions of interests in developing the site and I think the people of Sheffield want to see all options considered," he said.

"This is why I am appealing directly to government to do the right thing and put this listing on hold until all implications have been fully considered."

Mr Fox said the council can make an appeal to Historic England but only on the grounds of factual inaccuracies, meaning there is "little hope of succeeding".

Councillor Shaffaq Mohammed said the decision to list the building would "seriously limit future development opportunities"

Labour MPs for Sheffield, Clive Betts and Paul Blomfield, have objected to the listing, as has Councillor Shaffaq Mohammed, leader of the Liberal Democrats, who said the decision would make the site a "bottomless pit" for taxpayers.

Heritage groups, however, have said the decision would preserve an "iconic" building.