Sheffield student flats to dominate city skyline

How King's Tower could look in Sheffield city centre

Plans have been unveiled to build one of Yorkshire's tallest skyscrapers in Sheffield city centre.

The 40-storey King's Tower, on the corner of King Street and Angel Street, would stand as high as 28 double-decker buses at 393ft (120m).

It would replace the old Primark store and provide co-living accommodation primarily aimed at students.

Sheffield City Council planning officers have recommended the plans be approved at a meeting next week.

Altus House in Leeds is currently Yorkshire's tallest building

If councillors voted to approve the new development, it would be higher than Yorkshire's current tallest building, the 37-storey Altus House in Leeds.

It would miss out on the overall top spot for Yorkshire, with Leeds' 45-storey Cirrus Point, currently in development, set to stand at 436ft (133m).

But it would dwarf Sheffield's current highest building, the 32-storey St Paul's Tower.

Sheffield architect David Cross, who is chief executive of Sky House Co, said building at height could be difficult.

"Tall buildings are very difficult to stack up financially. The problem is viability as the post-Covid era has seen at least 20% inflation on build costs," he added.

"Then you've got all sorts of new regulatory changes like overheating, sustainability and the right to light.

"More importantly you've got the Building Safety Act which came in post-Grenfell and is all about fire safety.

"That is enormously complex and requires lots more fire compartmentation, more fire alarms, second stairs and fire engineers."

'Viability key'

The plans include demolishing the current premises and building 428 units arranged in clusters around communal living and dining spaces.

Mr Cross said: "We've seen lots of planning applications in the past, which is great for confidence, but what we really need to see are new towers built.

"Nothing really significant in terms of height has been built since St Paul's tower.

"To build 40 storeys would be great for the city but viability is going to be key," he added.

Correction 4 January 2024: This article has been amended to clarify that an in-development Leeds building would ultimately be Yorkshire's tallest.