Go-ahead given for £146m project

An artist's impression of the transformed Park Hill flats

A £146m regeneration of a Sheffield landmark will definitely go ahead, council chiefs have said.

The city centre's Park Hill flats, Britain's biggest Grade II (star) listed building, will be turned into 900 new homes.

Sheffield City Council has now signed contracts with developers Urban Splash and regeneration agency English Partnerships.

The homes will be for sale or rent and will include affordable housing.

English Partnerships has given a grant of £14.8m towards the project and at least £100m will come from the developers. A further £9.85m has been given by the Housing Corporation to provide affordable housing.

The redevelopment of Park Hill flats is a key part of the regeneration of Sheffield city centre Jan Wilson, Sheffield City Council leader

The Park Hill flats redevelopment will be part of Sheffield's new retail quarter project, which will create 17 acres of shopping space and cost about £590m.

Council chiefs said the project would be vital to the redevelopment of the city and could help create more jobs.

City council leader Jan Wilson said: "The redevelopment of Park Hill flats is a key part of the regeneration of Sheffield city centre.

"These deals will help us to secure a sustainable future for the flats and help support the creation of new jobs in the city centre."

'Long journey'

When the Park Hill flats were completed in 1961 the buildings were held up as the most ambitious inner-city development of their time.

By the late-1990s Park Hill had become run down and was no longer a popular place to live. The building suffered from a lack of maintenance and the council was unable to modernise the flats to the national standard required.

Urban Splash chairman Tom Bloxham MBE said: "We love Park Hill. And this is a significant step on the long journey towards delivering this great regeneration project.

"We hope we can make Park Hill a place Sheffield can be proud of."