The latest news from the Sheffield Star reports that a group of Sheffield business people have announced £500 million plans to develop a new city centre retail quarter. Sheffield Retail Development Group says that they have the expertise, financial backing and the passion to ‘transform’ the city centre with a 650,000sq ft development on a five-acre site by the end of 2018. This ambitious date is a year ahead of Sheffield City Council’s plans, and is set to include a range of shops, offices, cinema, restaurant and bars.
The Future of Sheffield City Centre
The future of Sheffield’s city centre has looked uncertain in recent years as new ideas are thrown around and existing plans are scrapped. In a previous post on our Sheffield shop signs blog, we discussed how plans for the Sevenstone shopping centre were frozen last year, only to find out that Sheffield Council are fighting to buy the designated area back from the previous developers in order to restart plans, possibly as early as next year.
As shop sign makers in Sheffield, we were understandably delighted by the news of a new shopping centre in the heart of the city. Residents of Sheffield will know that the city centre has suffered in the period since the recession, with shops closing down and significantly less people visiting it, therefore new plans were encouraging for the future of the area.
Spokesman John Crowther, who is an ex-chief executive of Vickers Defence Systems, chairman of the Amateur Swimming Association and non-executive director of Sheffield City Trust, said: “We have identified half-a-billion pounds of funding. We want Sheffield people to know there’s a local bid that’s oven-ready to go.”
Mr Crowther has also commented that as the plans are a market-led solution, the council will not have to take the risk of diverting money away from other areas, especially at a time of spending cuts. “This is a world class team of Sheffield people who care about Sheffield and can deliver a scheme that will transform the city centre,” he said.
Shop Sign Makers in Sheffield
Whether the city centre is rejuvenated by the private sector, or with help from the council, shop sign makers Sheffield Image Sign Studio are excited about the plans. They have a passion for helping businesses succeed starting with great signage, and are experts in the manufacture and design of shop signs Sheffield. For more information, call them on 0114 261 7617 and speak to a member of their team.