Sheffield's troubled Fargate container park to be dismantled at end of month

A decision on the future use of the containers will be made by councillors later this month.

A troubled shipping container complex in Sheffield city centre is to be dismantled at the end of the month.

Sheffield City Council said Fargate container park, which opened in October after months of delays, would close by 30 January.

The eight units were intended as a pop-up space for food stalls, shops and events but have been beset by problems.

A decision on the future use of the containers will be made by councillors later this month.

The local authority said dismantling the site would take several weeks and would be completed in time for work to begin on a £15.8m revamp of Fargate.

'Lessons learned'

The local authority has spent more than £420,000 on the container park, including on unplanned costs of relocating the units to maintain access to sewers.

The discovery of underground water pipes at the venue's original location delayed its opening by three months and led to the project being branded a "shambles".

Ajman Ali, the council's executive director of operational services, said: "We have learned several lessons from this project and, while we're disappointed it has not gone as we had hoped, we're so pleased several brilliant independent businesses from Sheffield were able to raise their profile within the city."

Businesses including Heist Brew Co, Korean street food vendor Clapping Seoul and Bramley Park House Plants have traded from from site since October.

But the venue's units were never fully filled and plans for a first-floor bar and terrace were shelved.

The council had planned to relocate the container park to another part of Sheffield city centre in 2023 but is now reconsidering.

The shipping containers were lowered into place in the first week of August but did not open until late October

Councillors on the Strategy and Resources Committee will decide the containers' fate on 24 January.

Mr Ali said: "We have drawn up a range of options for the future of the containers which will be presented to councillors this month and look forward to having a clear direction for the future - whatever their decision is.

"We will also be conducting an internal audit report about the project to highlight lessons for the future and apply that learning to future projects."

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