When will Sheffield’s City Centre ever be done? That’s the question on everybody’s lips four years after the city council was given millions to breathe new life into Fargate.
The Fargate restoration has been underway since 2023, connecting the new Castlegate Quarter – still under construction – to the ‘heart of the city’ – also still under construction. Today Councillor Ben Miskell, who is in charge of the regeneration of Sheffield, vowed Fargate would be “substantially ready” within weeks.
Fargate’s restoration project received a £15.8 million cash injection back in 2021 after a successful government bid from the “Future High Streets Fund”, and will eventually become a social hub showcasing the city’s diverse talent in the new Event Central building. The building will showcase local artists, exhibitions, performances, talks and events.
Work for this new building will start in either the spring or summer of this year, despite the funding having been in the bag for the past four years.
Fargate will also feature flower planters inviting insects, while comfortable seating areas and adequate lighting is set to make it a vibrant and welcoming place for all.
This idea was inspired by the award winning Grey to Green scheme, with work beginning back in 2023. Sheffield City Council told the BBC this part of the project will be ready by February, but Cllr Miskell told Sheffield Wire that this has been pushed back and will now be ready by mid-March.
He said: “Historically Fargate has been the heart beat of the city centre, it will still be a place to buy things, but It will also be a fabulous event space as well. Over the next few weeks we’ll bringing an end to that project and by Mid-March it will be largely done.”
Cllr Miskell also said Sheffielders have become used to construction around the city centre because it means progress.
The original grant from the Future Hight Streets Fund was £15.8 million, and the initial estimated cost of Fargate at the start was £8.8 million. The estimated cost of Fargate so far stands at £14.4 million, taken from a total pot of £33.6 million according to the current Council figures.
Cllr Miskell said: “Its important to be really clear with people isn’t it, and projects like this do take time, when we build extensions to our houses we know it could take weeks, months and sometimes years. Here we are talking about really complex situation. But yes Fargate will be substantially ready by mid-March.
“I remember someone asked me when will the city centre be finished and my answer to that is a good city centre is never finished.”
Sheffield City Council’s original regeneration plan said: “By 2038 The city will be a stronger, more inclusive sustainable city. It will also be known as a city that increases the skills of its people and the productivity of its businesses, enabling everyone to reach their full potential regardless of where they live or grew up.”
