The Stocksbridge Town Deal Board has this week unveiled the ambitious plans for a brand new town centre – bringing jobs, investment, and new and flexible community space to the heart of the town.
The first planning application has now been submitted to Sheffield City Council which will deliver the striking landmark anchor building on a regenerated Manchester Road. The vision for the town will transform the traditional retail area of Stocksbridge with an investment totalling more than £20m, creating a future proofed town centre which will meet the needs of the local community.
The new building will be home to a state of the art new library as well as offering community space, classrooms for post-16 learning and managed workspace – somewhere for budding entrepreneurs and small businesses to collaborate, innovate, incubate, and grow.
The development will bring new activity and investment to the town centre and create jobs as well as new skills and opportunities in Stocksbridge. The Stocksbridge Town Deal Board has decided to prioritise securing the town centre improvements. Once contracts are in place the Board will move on to the remaining projects in the Town Deal programme.
The master plan for the town also includes an attractive new Town Square and car parking as well as major improvements to the currently rundown precinct area with new shopfronts and paving. This will create a focal point for markets and events with the opportunity to collaborate with local groups and partners.
The Town Deal Board has worked with Sheffield City Council, Rider Levett Bucknall and the award winning South Yorkshire architects CODA Studios on the design of the new landmark building on a site partly occupied by the current library building.
With a working title of Stocksbridge 519, the development is designed over three floors covering 25,134 sq. ft. and will house:
The striking building design has taken inspiration from the local industrial heritage architecture, as well as the more modern buildings of the neighbouring successful Fox Valley development.
Stocksbridge 519 has also been designed with sustainability in mind; with photovoltaic panels as well as rain gardens for stormwater run-off and a blue roof system which temporarily stores excess storm water – minimising the risk of flooding.
The submission of this first town centre planning application marks a major milestone in a project which has been developed by the Town Deal Board and Sheffield City Council. It is hoped that work will start on the project in spring / summer 2024.
Regenerating the town centre is a key priority for the Town Deal Board and the new building is at the heart of a raft of investment which will also include upgraded paving and public realm as well as the new Town Square and a shop front improvement scheme initially in the precinct area of Manchester Road. Further planning applications will be made later in the year to deliver the wider town centre projects.
Town Deal Board Lead for Stocksbridge 519, Ian Sanderson, said: “We want to create something that will be a real game changer for Stocksbridge, and we believe we have the design and concept for the building which clearly shows the ambition that we all have for the town.
“The building not only looks fantastic but is going to bring new activity, uses and investment to a part of our town centre which so badly needs regenerating and upgrading. The new hub will be at the heart of the newly regenerated Manchester Road, underpinning the wider investment in the area which is needed.”
Co-Chair of the Stocksbridge Town Deal Board, Miriam Cates MP, said: “From the outset the community told us that the Manchester Road area was a priority and we have sought to bring forward a development which will reflects the ambition and vision that the town really deserves.
“We are delighted to reach this important milestone in our anchor project for the town centre. The new hub is absolutely key to regenerating the high street and will enable other projects, including the adult education provision, to be delivered and will sit alongside the new Town Square. We look forward to the next stage of the new plans and work starting on the ground later this year.”
The planning application for Stocksbridge 519 will be followed later in the spring with further applications for the new Town Square, car parking improvements, landscaping and shop front enhancements to the precinct area.
The Stocksbridge Town Deal Board agreed at its meeting in November that due to increased costs and inflationary pressures that the hydrotherapy pool project at Stocksbridge Community Leisure Centre would not be funded in its present form. The Board also agreed that the Little Don Rivers Project would not be funded. Other projects across the programme will be phased until the costs of the high street projects are confirmed, ensuring the priority projects for the town can be delivered in the first phase of work.
The Stocksbridge investment was approved by the Department for Levelling Up Housing and Communities in December 2022. To keep up to date with news about the Stocksbridge Town Deal visit www.welcometostocksbridge.co.uk
With Co-Chair Miriam Cates MP and Cllr Julie Grocutt, Sheffield City Council
Miriam Cates MP and Cllr Julie Grocutt have both been key members of the Stocksbridge Town Deal Board since Stocksbridge was first announced in 2019 as one of the 101 UK towns invited to bid for a share of the £3.6 bn Government funding. Miriam is Co-Chair and Project Champion of the Hopper Bus Project and Julie is Project Champion for the Oxley Park Improvement Project and the Tracks and Activities Project. Here's their update on the key questions - what is happening next in the delivery of this game changing investment in Stocksbridge and where the money is going to be spent.
Q: Why hasn’t work started yet on the town centre projects?
Cllr Julie Grocutt: We are really pleased to have seen work start this autumn on the Oxley Park Improvement Project but we do know that everyone is keen to see the major improvements which are coming to the town centre – as are all the Board members. The town centre projects are going to create jobs and really transform the Manchester Road area, but these are complex and, in some cases, commercially sensitive projects which involve working with some existing businesses and property owners and purchasing land and properties. So, whilst it may seem that progress is slow, please be assured that a great deal of work is happening in the background. This is a once in a generation opportunity for the town and we want to get this right and create a real catalyst for further investment and development.
Q: When will we see construction start in the town centre?
Miriam Cates MP: The largest investment on Manchester Road is the new Library and Community Hub building – the working title for the new building is Stocksbridge 519 and the planning application for the new building is ready to be submitted. We’re hopeful work could then start in late spring 2024 on the ground. There are a lot of moving parts in delivering the new building but it’s going to be a great catalyst to creating new jobs and opportunities. Not only will it house a new modern library but also managed workspace and a learning and skills hub as well as flexible community space where we can house facilities including pop up banking services.
Q: What does the Town Deal Board see at the priorities for the town:
Cllr Julie Grocutt: The town centre projects, regenerating Manchester Road, came out as a huge priority when we held our public consultation sessions, and that’s certainly reflected in the conversations with local people that I have through my role as a local councillor on Sheffield City Council and Stocksbridge Town Council. We have been fortunate in Stocksbridge to have received private investment in recent years through the Fox Valley development, but we want to see a town centre that is fit for purpose and can also attract businesses and customers. Town centres are changing and evolving and that’s really accelerated through the pandemic in lots of ways. But people still want to connect and collaborate, and we want to create the right environment to future proof our town centre. We want to encourage traditional markets and attractive landscaping and outdoor areas, but also create the right environment for businesses to establish and grow. As well as the town centre we know how important the Hopper Bus project is to the community in Stocksbridge, Deepcar and Bolsterstone and that will be moving ahead at pace as soon as we have the final piece of funding confirmed by South Yorkshire’s Mayor.
Q: What have been the biggest challenges for the Board?
Miriam Cates MP: Rising inflation and the cost of living is hitting the Town Deal budget hard. We were given the opportunity to bid for investment through the Towns Fund and awarded £24.1m which was confirmed by the Government early in 2023. It’s a fantastic amount of money for our community - but construction and material costs have increased to a level we couldn’t have imagined when we set out on this journey. Even with additional funding from SYMCA (South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority) we have had to really scrutinise the impact of each project and the benefits they will unlock for the wider community and prioritise what we can deliver. We want to focus on and secure those key projects which are going to make the biggest difference to our community and developing a high street that everyone from Stocksbridge can be proud of is mission critical. This means there will be some tough decisions ahead and some projects will be delayed until we can fully understand the costs across the high street projects. Colleagues working on Town Deal projects across the country are facing similar challenges and are having to reprioritise their projects.
Q: Will all ten projects be delivered?
Cllr Julie Grocutt: All our projects started out as concepts which had indicative costs attached to them. Once they were approved, they have had to be worked up from concept into detailed, deliverable projects. Detailed surveys and design work and engagement has obviously resulted in us making changes to all these projects to some degree. But the inflationary pressures is the factor that has had the biggest impact and constrained us and as a result we have had to look hard at our priorities. We now also have to phase projects so we can ensure that our priorities are secured and delivered first. We still have the ambition to deliver the programme, but we need to contract the works and secure the town centre projects along with the Hopper Bus first. We will then review where we are, and if budgets allow, deliver the remainder of the programme although we do know that due to inflation some of the projects will need to be further modified and can’t proceed in their current form. This is difficult and disappointing for everyone involved but is a fact-of-life and consequence of inflation. Our budgets were set in 2019, and 2019 money doesn’t buy things at 2024’s prices – I think we are all experiencing this in our personal and household finances and this is exactly the same for the Towns Fund. It is a hard problem we are trying to square. It will leave certain groups of people disappointed, and it is disappointing for us all, but is a fact-of-life and is where we are. We of course know that some local groups and lobbyists have been frustrated that the Board has made certain decisions to invest in certain project, but under the conditions we face, we must make the best decisions for Stocksbridge that delivers on our communities’ priorities. We can’t get more funding, and the funding isn’t linked to inflation therefore the simple fact is the funding doesn’t go as far as we would all wish! Having said all this, we are totally focussed on what is best for the town and what will deliver more, and better, jobs and opportunities for our community, our businesses, and future generations. I am really confident that the high street scheme we have settled on, which will be shared with everyone very shortly, will excite everyone and gives us all a high street offer we will be proud of.
How can people find out more or get in touch with the Town Deal Board?
We have a dedicated Town Deal website which can be found at www.welcometostocksbridge.co.uk as well as social media accounts on facebook and X (Twitter) and you can also sign up for an e-newsletter. We are planning some drop in sessions for local businesses in the coming weeks from the Town Deal office at Stocksbridge Library so please look out for further details in Look Local and on our website.