4.1 Castlegate Quarter

Vision

Major developments will see significant changes to the Castlegate Quarter enhancing its gateway location, public realm and links with the riverside.

Castlegate will become an important point of connection. Haymarket and Waingate, as historic thoroughfares to medieval Sheffield, will be reinforced as principal pedestrian routes, their design and planting theme flowing into Lady’s Bridge and the Wicker. This street will also become a transit focus with the new bus midi-interchange, into which the pedestrian links throughout the quarter will feed. The re-invention of Shude Hill and Pond Street as an important pedestrian route will provide strong connectivity with the Heart of the City.

Once pedestrianised, Exchange Street will be a vital link into the city centre, Riverside and Victoria Quays.

The Castle Market will be redeveloped to present a striking image at the city’s gateway. The building will step down to meet its northern frontage at Castlegate via a series of terraces. Pedestrian connections will filter through the site, opening the quarter to the river. Rooftop courtyards and gardens will embrace the elevated position and afford views over the river to the distant hills.

Redevelopment of the Sheaf Market and Broad Street sites will continue the gateway along Exchange Street, forming a strong and vibrant eastern edge to the city centre and presenting a welcoming image at this entrance.

The current lack of architectural definition in the Castlegate Quarter will provide the licence for bold contemporary architecture and urban design. The quarter’s remaining Victorian and Edwardian buildings will be rejuvenated and adapted to modern day use, so as to retain a connection with the area’s past.

As a long term aspiration for the Castlegate Quarter, part of the River Sheaf will be deculverted and the city of Sheffield reconnected with the river after which it is named. Until this vision can be realised, a symbolic connection to the river will be developed through the quarter by integrating water in the public realm, or through artworks and interpretive signage.

Comparator projects

Hay’s Galleria, London This retail and market space is covered to allow activity all year round. Being open at one end and with a transparent roof structure, it has the feeling of an outdoor space. Offices located in the floors above bring a mix of uses. Redeveloping Castle Market in this way will create the ambience of an open air market whilst providing necessary shelter from the elements.

St.Mary’s Square, York This informal outdoor space in the centre of York is busy with music, buskers and outdoor cafes. The buildings around its edges create a sense of enclosure, and include ground level shops with residential above. A point of connection between pedestrian routes to other parts of the city centre, the lively ambience of this space and its attractive seating and planting are conducive to stopping en route. This type of space would work well in Castlegate and help reconnect it to the rest of the city centre.

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