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18 December 2019

Exposed Magazine

Planning consent has officially been approved by Sheffield council for the restoration of the Old Town Hall, which will turn the historic building into accommodation, a ‘pod hotel’ and a souk-style market place. 


Situated in Castlegate, the Old Town Hall has been empty for the past twenty-three years with many people wanting it restored back to its former glory. Today the council has announced that work can begin to carefully restore the building.

Councillor Mazher Iqbal, cabinet member for business and investment at Sheffield city council, said: “The Old Town Hall is a significant part of our city’s history, and, because it’s in the heart of our rapidly evolving Castlegate quarter, we have committed significant time and effort to ensuring its future viability.

“We are seeing huge and very welcome development in this part of the city, which is a sign of great confidence in Sheffield as a whole. With Castle House (Kolider), Grey to Green and many other businesses moving back into Castlegate, we are very excited about the future regeneration of this area.

“We have worked very closely with the developer to make sure we preserve the building as much as we can. The detailed work that we have already undertaken on this building shows how much pride we have in making sure it was not demolished, but preserved and restored.”

Built between 1807 and 1808 the building has served many purposes and in 1973, became a Grade II-listed building.

Mr Efe Omu of Aestrom, the local Sheffield developer for the Old Town Hall said: “Developing a building of such historical significance in the city is a huge honour. I am thrilled to be able to breathe new life into the building and it is my mission to be sympathetic to its importance to Sheffield.

“I intend to retain the features of the building, including restoration where it is needed. We have welcomed support from local businesses as well as advice and guidance provided by key interest groups and council officers.

“Our intention is to create a mixed use scheme including serviced apartments, a pod hotel and souk style retail units which will be situated in the basement.”

Paul Houghton, head of Grant Thornton Sheffield and Chair of the Castlegate Partnership said: “Castlegate is a wonderful blank canvas for Sheffield. Over the next ten years, we want to see it develop into a vibrant hub of life – both reflecting the city’s past and embracing the city’s future. The Old Town Hall is a vitally important element of this development, and we welcome the consent which will breathe new life into this fantastic old building.”