A bid made by Sheffield city council and supported by the University of Sheffield has been successful in the first round of applications to secure funding for improvements to Sheffield’s historic High Street and Fargate.
Work is now under way to complete a business case to bid (in the Spring 2020) for up to £25m from the government’s Future High Streets Fund.
The government’s £1bn Future High Streets Fund aims to transform and regenerate high streets across England, making them fit for the future. It will help revitalise local high streets and boost economic buoyancy in town centres where people live, shop, use services, and spend their leisure time.
Following discussions with wide ranging stakeholders, Sheffield city council and The University of Sheffield are now presenting draft proposals for the bid to gather support for a future vision for Fargate and High Street. The survey will help build an accurate picture of how people view and use Fargate and High Street now, and what they wish to see included in plans for the future.
Professor Vanessa Toulmin of The University of Sheffield, said “The team has been very pleased to contribute to the development of the Future High Streets Fund bid. The workshops undertaken have gained insights from over 120 stakeholders. Dr Bobby Nisha and a team of students from the Department of Urban Studies and Planning helped develop a virtual reality experience where Sheffielders will get the chance to feel what it might be like to walk around in a revived Fargate. I am hopeful of a fantastic outcome for the service.”
Sheffield city council’s director of city centre development, Nalin Seneviratne said: “We are thrilled to be undertaking the next stage in the bidding process and we are well under way to building a strong business case to support the £25m bid to revitalise the historic city centre but we need Sheffielders help!
“We are really keen to get the public’s perspective of how people use the city centre. We want people to tell us their experiences of how they live, work, shop and enjoy the space currently so we can put forward the best case to fit the needs of future city centre users.”
Nalin added “If successful, the financial boost for the historic heart of the city will help shape the future of how we use this space and to realise the ambitions for a thriving city. We are confident that the huge progress we have already made to develop new vibrancy in this part of the city centre will stand us in good stead and, if successful, the Future High Streets Fund will help us to do even more.”
