Sheffield park cafe's future to be decided a year after closure

The Rose Garden Café in Sheffield's Graves Park first opened in 1927

A decision will be made about the future of a park cafe which has been closed for more than a year.

Rose Garden Café in Sheffield's Graves Park was shut due to structural concerns in July 2022.

At a special meeting on Wednesday, councillors will consider proposals to restore the building and pause replacement or demolition work.

Sheffield City Council said once a decision was made, a city-wide consultation would be launched.

Following the closure, Rose Garden Café reopened as takeaway-only in December 2022.

A feasibility study was commissioned to identify the condition of the building, the level of repair and refurbishment works required.

Five options were then assessed, including demolition, structural stabilisation and refurbishment, and a complete rebuild of the building.

'Loved by community'

According to the city council, a full refurbishment could cost up to £1.7m while demolishing and replacing the building is estimated at £1.56m.

Structural stabilisation of the existing building with "light touch refurbishment to café interiors only" would cost around £911,000, it added.

The council's charity trustee sub-committee will be recommended to approve the proposal to develop a strategy for the restoration of the building.

Councillor Ian Auckland, chair of the sub-committee said: "If the committee members agree the recommendations, I will want to move quickly after that to secure the future of the Rose Garden Café in a partnership with the community.

"The café has recently been added to the South Yorkshire heritage list which shows that it is an important asset and loved by the local community, so we want to make sure that we make the right decision for the future."

Built in 1927, the cafe alongside the park were gifted to the people of Sheffield last century and are held in a charitable trust, with the council acting as sole trustee.