The re-opening of the River Sheaf last month as part of regeneration works at Castlegate, made headlines across Sheffield and the UK.
With bold plans for regeneration of the city’s rivers, there’s much for nature lovers to be excited about, and plenty of existing work for the City Council to build on. In the words of the Sheaf & Porter Rivers Trust, “Sheffield has a long history of both trashing and restoring its rivers”.
But what does this mean for the city’s waterways – and what implications might it have across the UK?
A History of Sheffield’s Rivers
Like most of Britain’s large industrial cities, Sheffield owes its growth and prosperity – indeed, its very existence – to its rivers. The Don, Porter and Sheaf were exploited to power, cool, and supply South Yorkshire’s most significant local industries – beginning with the grinding wheels of the ‘Little Mesters’, Sheffield’s iconic artisan cutlery-makers in the 18th and 19th century.
Later, the city’s rivers fuelled the golden age of steel working in the city, as people-intensive labour expanded them into a flourishing canal network serving nearby Yorkshire collieries. Simon Ogden, chair of the Sheaf & Porter Trust, praised the heritage value of the “900-year history”, left exposed at Castlegate and similar sites.
But heavy industry and a growing population had their price. Human waste and industrial runoff turned the city waterways into open-air sewers, with devastating consequences for local ecosystems. Many vanished off the map altogether, paved over or shrouded with culverts, with Sheffield Station virtually afloat on a network of ponds and tributary streams.
These days, however, the future of Sheffield’s rivers is looking rosier, with the Castlegate works being just the latest in moves to boost water quality in the city. In 2017, culverting was removed on a section of the Porter to create the Matilda St. Pocket Park, touted by the Sheaf & Porter Rivers Trust as a showcase for “the potential for green-blue public space, habitat creation and making room for the river”.
Andy Buck, a trustee at the Sheaf & Porter Trust, praised Sheffield’s standing “track record of doing work in the city to improve ecology and public access”, citing examples such as the Five Weirs Walk, which extends along the Don from Castlegate to Meadowhall.
The Bailey Bridge, along the Five Weirs Walk. Credit: Graham Hogg / CCBY-SA 2.0
Nature and Ecosystems
Beyond its implications for public space, river deculverting – alongside the disappearance of pollution-intensive industry – has led to appreciable improvements to biodiversity. Recent years have seen a range of positive signs, from the recovery of once-decimated fish stocks to the return of otters to the River Don.
Mr Buck said that the replacement of a weir with a fish pass at the Castlegate site may even allow for the passage of salmon through the city centre. For waterways that remain culverted, meanwhile, he spoke of plans to proceed with “daylighting” mechanisms – using light well technologies to improve ecosystem health.
There remain, however, areas of significant ecological concern, such as the decline of water vole populations due to habitat destruction; it must be hoped that future regeneration work on Sheffield’s rivers take this into account.
And these works are being planned in their multitudes, by Sheffield City Council and its partner organisations. The Castlegate works are set to advance, with a routeway for pedestrians leading through the site; meanwhile, the Sheaf & Porter Rivers Trust has praised the “strong place-making potential” of development and re-naturalisation plans along the Lower Porter.
Councillor Ben Miskell, of the council’s Transport, Regeneration and Climate Committee, said: “We hope there’ll be plenty of opportunities to open up more sections of our waterways, such as the Porter Brook. We’ve been working closely with partners, including the Trust, to help bring these plans to life.”
Sheffield’s Cultural Heritage
Riverine regeneration projects such as these also have implications for heritage in Sheffield. In addition to shaping its physical landscape and economy, South Yorkshire’s rivers have left an indelible cultural imprint upon Sheffield.
A recent exhibition at the Weston Park Museum explored the myriad interactions between river ecosystems and human life in South Yorkshire, from art and music to scientific research.
The Sheaf & Porter Trust has contributed to a variety of historical projects within the built landscape of the city, including a restored ‘Information Wheel’ at the River Sheaf Walk along Saxon Road, commemorating the city’s natural and industrial heritage.
A Model for the Future?
This all raises an interesting question – is this model replicable? Deculverting is hardly a new method of urban regeneration, with similar plans being put into practice in other parts of the country for over a decade.
But the synthesis of regeneration, rewilding, and heritage preservation here seems like it carries lessons for elsewhere in the UK. Many of Britain’s industrial cities have a similar relationship, in greater or lesser degree, to their own lost subterranean rivers. Most famously, dozens of the River Thames’ tributaries lie buried beneath the streets of London, including the Fleet and the Tyburn.
Certainly, the existing works are informed by existing technical experience in the field. Cllr Miskell told Sheffield Wire: “We’re always learning from other regeneration projects – both across the UK and internationally – to help shape our approach to transforming the Castle site and wider areas of the city.”
Mr Ogden cited the Wandell in South London and the Cheonggyecheon in South Korea as exemplars for the Castlegate project, while Mr. Buck praised similar work on the River Medlock in Manchester.
As things stand, then, there is much to be optimistic about for the future of Sheffield’s rivers. “Where there’s a will, there’s a way,” Mr Buck said, expressing hope that the productive cooperation between local authorities and civil society will continue.
With regeneration opportunities and conservation milestones abounding, if current trends continue, we may be standing on the banks of a healthier, greener city centre.
