Leah’s Yard, a former 19th Century mesters works and one of Sheffield’s most important heritage buildings, is set for an exciting new future that will both honour and celebrate its rich industrial heritage as part of the Heart of the City regeneration programme.
Following an extensive bidding process, Sheffield City Council has selected an impressive bid from Sheffield Science Park Company (SSPCo), who plans to transform the building into a new destination for local independent businesses, socialising and enterprising combining a full mixed experience for visitors and users of the building. Plans also include creative workshops as well as creative spaces for Sheffield’s thriving independent business scene.
Tom Wolfenden, CEO of SSPCo, which manages the Cooper Buildings on Arundel Street, and James O’Hara of the Rockingham Group (Public, Picture House Social, Gatsby), have realised a longstanding ambition to combine their extensive complementary experience on the new project.
Tom Wolfenden (left) and James O’Hara (right) have joined forces on the project
Once fully refurbished, the revitalised Leah’s Yard will feature a collection of high-quality local traders within ground floor studios, offering everything from furniture and clothes to artisan foods and ales, with unique spaces on upper floors to accommodate the best of Sheffield’s small businesses.
In addition to the creative spaces and shopfronts, the venue will host regular public-facing events, makers markets and themed evenings appealing to a diverse range of audiences.
Preliminary structural and roof work on the Grade II* Listed building, which sits within the Heart of the City masterplan alongside the approved Cambridge Street Collective, has been underway since September and will bring the derelict building back into a safe condition, with a view to opening the space in time for Christmas 2022.
For more information on Sheffield Council’s Heart of the City development programme, head to heartofsheffield.co.uk.
