Sheffield City Council approves new art space for city's Park Hill estate revamp

The regeneration of Sheffield’s Park Hill has reached another milestone as its art space has been approved planning permission from the local council.

This is the fourth phase of Park Hill, and will be called Park Hill Art Space. It comes after the £100m redevelopment of the scheme to date, which includes the completed first phase comprising 260 homes and 30,000 sq ft of workspace.

The arts development, led by Sheffield’s S1 Artspace, is a national flagship project aiming to improve Park Hill, providing a destination for arts, culture and heritage.

Park Hill Art Space could be an economic drive for the city, acting as a catalyst for its visitor economy and a creative industry incubator encouraging inward investment.

Louise Hutchinson, artistic director and CEO of S1 Artspace, said: “We are delighted that Sheffield City Council have approved our plans for Park Hill Art Space.

“Over the past four years based at Park Hill, we’ve worked closely with the local community to deliver a relevant and ambitious programme of exhibitions and events.”

She added: “The opportunity to build on this work by establishing a major new cultural destination for the region will be significant for Sheffield.

“This project is also much more than an arts development, it is about recognising the pivotal role of culture in shaping the future of the city.”

Park Hill Art Space is set to feature one of the largest contemporary art galleries in the north as well as artist studios, workspace for creative businesses, learning and community studios, heritage flats, accommodation for visiting artists and a gallery shop.

Tom Bloxham MBE, Urban Splash’s chairman, also commented: “We are very pleased to see the S1 Art Space plans progress. Our support for this and S1 is another example of Urban Splash’s commitment to help the arts across the country.

“We believe in genuine mixed-use regeneration and are always delighted to work with credible artists and art organisations to help transform our towns and cities.”

The existing concrete structure of the building will be carefully restored and provide a framework for the repurposed spaces.