Rebirth of Sheffield’s former Cannon Brewery intonew city neighbourhood recommended for green light
Ambitious plans for a rebirth of Sheffield’s former Cannon Brewery into a new city neighbourhood are recommended to get the green light.
Sheffield City Council’s Planning and Highways Committee is set to meet next week (23 July), with planning officers recommending approval for Capital&Centric’s planned overhaul of the Neepsend plot. Approval would pave the way for the brownfield site’s next chapter following more than a quarter of a century of dereliction.
The social impact developer’s proposals aim to breathe new life into the long-dormant spot, where beer was brewed until the 1990s. They include retention and repurposing of the most interesting buildings from the former brewery alongside contemporary new builds to deliver over 500 homes, work and cultural spaces.
A lush urban park and a new public square with shops, cafés and spaces for pop-up events is also on the cards. It’s all part of a bid to grow the city in a considered way, with Capital&Centric pushing to attract some £200 million of investment into the city across several regeneration sites.
It comes as the newly-elected Labour government seeks to get Britain building, with a pledge to deliver 1.5 million homes over the next parliament.
At Cannon Brewery the team is working with the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) and Sheffield City Council to make the blueprint a reality. The combined authority awarded a £11.67 million grant to kick-start the regeneration earlier this year.
Tom Wilmot, joint managing director of Capital&Centric, said:
“Neepsend will play a major role in Sheffield’s future. As the city’s popularity sky rockets, it’s important that the districts not only deliver growth but have a real sense of character and personality. Cannon Brewery has that in spades. Our plan is all about creating a diverse and interesting neighbourhood, with genuine community spirit, on a massive brownfield site that’s been derelict for decades.
“The recommendation for approval is another welcome milestone in the Cannon Brewery story. We hope councillors see the scale of opportunity and give our vision the thumbs up. It’ll allow us to getting going on site this summer to prep the site for its overhaul.”
Should the plans be approved, demolition and remediation will start as soon as possible, in preparation for redevelopment of the site. Capital&Centric are also on site at Eyewitness Works in Sheffield’s Milton Street, where they’ve repurposed the historic former cutlery works into rental loft apartments and townhouses, alongside hidden gardens for residents. The space was the set for Channel 4’s Big Interiors Battle series in 2023.