Proposals and new images of the next two blocks in Sheffield city centre’s transformative Heart of the City II scheme have been unveiled.
Officially referred to as Blocks B and C in the wider masterplan, but known better as Laycock House and Pepper Pot respectively, plans for the two sites enter a period of public consultation today which will run until 28 September, ahead of planning applications being submitted in October.
Building on the success of the original Heart of the City scheme, cabinet approved Sheffield City Council and strategic development partner Queensberry’s 1.5 million square foot Heart of the City II development in March this year.
Designed by Leonard Design Architects, Heart of the City II will significantly transform this area of the city centre into a dynamic mixed-use district, boasting premium retail brands, Grade A offices, contemporary residential space, high-end hotels and attractive public spaces. New leisure facilities will feature, alongside restaurants and a cutting-edge food courtyard.
By keeping to the existing street patterns, the scheme will help integrate with existing shopping districts such as The Moor, Fargate and the Devonshire Quarter, and crucially, see John Lewis remain in its existing location on Barker’s Pool.
There will be a phase-by-phase approach to development, with construction on Phase One (Block D) of the scheme, which includes the flagship new office to be occupied by HSBC, already underway and on schedule for completion in 2019.
Blocks B and C are the next two blocks of the scheme to be designed and developed and are central to the Council’s reimagined plans for Pinstone Street.
Block B – known as the Laycock House block, sits to the south of the Citadel, with Cross Burgess Street to the north, Pinstone Street to the east and Charles Street to the west.
On the north east corner of Block B is Laycock House itself, which complements the historic Pinstone Street façade and is a strong example of a late Victorian building that has survived more or less completely in its original form. The development proposal is to retain Laycock House, but to demolish the rest of the block and create a brand-new building in its place.
In total, this entire block would contain up to nine retail units on the ground floor, fronting onto Pinstone Street, with residential space above. 50 apartments are planned across seven floors, ranging from studio to three-bed apartments.
Block C – known as the Pepper Pot block, is located further down Pinstone Street towards The Moor. It lies between Pinstone Street, Cambridge Street and Charles Street.
Similar to Block B, the proposal is to retain the Pinstone Street façade, but completely rebuild everything behind this, to create a completely unique new office building with five retail units on the ground floor. The new development would step up in height from Pinstone Street, from three storeys to eight storeys, and includes over 37,500 sq ft of premium Grade A office space. 
In total, Phase One (Block D) and Blocks B and C will introduce approximately 67,500 sq ft of retail space (up to 22 new units), 200,000 sq ft of office space and 37,000 sq ft of residential space, to this part of the city centre, helping to create a genuinely important new business and social hub.
Councillor Mazher Iqbal, Cabinet Member for Business and Investment at Sheffield City Council, said:
“I am delighted to see the plans for the next stages of Heart of the City II come forward. The two blocks will transform the Pinstone Street retail scene and add more much-needed quality office and residential space at the same time.
“The Council is keen to retain as much of the city’s heritage as possible throughout this project. We have worked hard to see the retention of the Pinstone Street frontage whilst delivering new transformational development for the area.
“The public consultation phase is a very important step and we are keen to know the thoughts of Sheffield residents and local businesses, so we will then be able to incorporate these ideas and comments in our final planning applications.”
Two public consultation drop-in events will take place on 11 and 12 September and will provide stakeholders and members of the public with the opportunity to discuss the proposals with key members of the Project Team.
Tuesday 11 September 2018
4:30pm-7:00pm
The Art House
8 Backfields, Sheffield S1 4HJ
Wednesday 12 September 2018
11:30am-4:00pm
Sheffield Winter Garden
90 Surrey St, Sheffield S1 2LH
