Design and Access Statement Residential Development at Osborn Works Rutland Road Sheffield on behalf of Project ref: 11557 April 2021 Self Architects 24a St Andrews Road Sheffield S11 9AL T: 0114 258 8125 W: www.selfarchitects.co.uk Design and Access Statement CONTENTS 1 Introduction . 2 2 Existing Building and Local Context . 4 3 Pre-Application Advice . 13 4 Use . 16 5 Amount . 17 6 Layout . 18 7 Scale . 20 8 Appearance . 21 9 Heritage Statement . 22 10 Access . 25 11 Supporting Information . 26 12 Conclusion . 27 Appendices: Appendix 1: List of drawings for submission Appendix 2: Site Photographs 1 – 6 Revision History REV DATE INITIALS DETAILS V1 2 April 2021 MAB First Issue - DRAFT V2 9 April 2021 MAB Minor amendments V3 21 April 2021 MAB Final amendments prior to submission page 1 Design and Access Statement 1 Introduction This Design and Access Statement accompanies the full Planning Application being made to Sheffield City Council for “Conversion of the upper level of the building (Osborn Works) to residential accommodation” on behalf of Drop Dead Limited. The purpose of the document is to explain the design thinking behind the planning application. It set outs the main design issues, challenges and responses associated with the scheme to be submitted for conversion of the upper level of the building to residential accommodation for occupation by Ian and Carol Sykes and also, in a separate apartment, their son Oliver Sykes along with his partner. It includes a written description and justification behind the planning application and it also includes photos, illustrations, maps and drawings to further illustrate the points made. page 2 Design and Access Statement 2. Existing Building and Local Context 2.1 Context The Osborn Works building is located in the Neepsend area of Sheffield in a riverside position along the River Don. Neepsend is an ancient suburb of the city of Sheffield, it stands just 1.6 km north-west of the city centre. The area covers the flood plain of the River Don from Lady's Bridge at the Wicker up to Hillfoot Bridge and falls within the Central Ward of the City. The origin of the word Neepsend is believed to come from the Old Norse language, with the word "nypr" meaning a peak, the "end" part was added as Neepsend lies in the Don valley at the termination of a high ridge which descends from Shirecliffe and over Parkwood. Although there is little evidence of ancient settlement in Neepsend, the discovery of a Late Bronze Age socketed axehead, found in 1921 close to Hillfoot Bridge, suggests ancient human activity in the area. Scandinavian settlers arrived in the 10th century, clearing the woodland and turning the valley floor by the River Don into fields and meadows. The wood was further cleared between the early 17th century and the mid-19th century for timber and by charcoal burners. The 18th century brought the first industrial development for the area, the 1853 Ordnance Survey map showing the Neepsend Tavern and a brewery on Rutland Road. The adjacent Kelham Island district was one of Sheffield’s most important early industrial areas; it now houses the Kelham Island Museum. With a population explosion in Sheffield, Neepsend was radically changed in the second half of the 19th century. 19th century image of Cornish Place page 3 Design and Access Statement The Neepsend Rolling Mills were established in 1876, just downstream from Neepsend Bridge, and produced crucible steel for the cutlery industry. After being demolished, it was the subject of an archaeological dig in 2003 before apartments were built on the site. Other industrial heritage buildings in the area are the Globe Works and Cornish Place, which have been converted into offices and apartments respectively while the Green Lane Works have recently been redeveloped by CiTU for residential and commercial use. Neepsend was designated as an area for industry after World War Two by Sheffield City Council, and its resident population greatly reduced. Neepsend formerly had many public houses, but the Gardeners Rest and the Forest are the only ones remaining in the main part of Neepsend. The Kelham Island area, which is being regenerated to a fashionable residential district, has The Harlequin, The Riverside, The Fat Cat, The Kelham Island Tavern and The Milestone as pubs. Aizlewood's Mill is a grade two listed building and is a former six-storey flour mill built in 1861 and it is on Nursery Street, close to the city centre. The derelict building was restored and opened as a business centre in 1990. Neepsend – 1960’s page 4 Design and Access Statement 2.2 Changing times: Residential-Industrial Historical images of the surrounding area indicate that residential displacement occurred a long time before the recent regeneration of the area. Most historic, residential buildings were cleared for industrial use, starting from the latter part of the 19th century through to the post- war period. Further to the west, the residential clearance was even more pronounced. Densely- packed Victorian street patterns of terraced houses were replaced by new industrial works of varying scale as housing settlement moved further away from the city. This accelerated after WW2 when bomb-damaged streets were demolished and “slum” housing was cleared. Burton Road - 1965 Weston Street showing the old Bathfield Hotel awaiting demolition - 1964 page 5 Design and Access Statement The works buildings which gradually replaced the terraced houses were often of high-quality, reflecting the wealth and status of their patrons. During the 1980’s and 1990’s a pattern of massive industrial decline across the entirety of Neepsend and Kelham Island occurred, which led to many of its industrial buildings being abandoned. In some case new uses followed, but often these building were left deserted for several years. Examples of this are numerous as can be seen below: Cornish Place Cornish Place is a listed building, that was formerly the factory of James Dixon & Sons, a Britannia metal, Sheffield plate and Cutlery manufacturer. Dixon & Smith was founded in 1805, based on Silver Street in the centre of Sheffield. In 1822 Dixon set up business on his own and the existing rolling mill was converted into a workshop for the manufacture of silver and plated goods. The first phase of the works were a U-shaped series of buildings which fronted onto Cornish Street and the River Don and consisted of workshops, casting shops and offices. The works were extended as the firm became more successful with the more notable part of the building, the east range, being built between 1851 and 1854. Further building took place between 1857-59 when warehouses and a showroom were added at the southern end of Ball Street. The west range was constructed around 1860 on Green Lane with a more decorative architectural treatment. By the 1860s the works covered an area of about four acres and over 700 people were employed there. The firm reached its peak in 1914, selling goods throughout America and the Empire. At that time up to 1000 people were employed at the works. During World War One there was a reduction in demand for luxury goods which hit the firm badly and from which they would never recover. Competition from Japan also had an impact, by the 1970s the firm was making regular annual losses and by 1982 had virtually collapsed with debts of over £1,000,000. At that time there were only 57 employees and parts of Cornish Place were let out to other businesses. Production continued at Cornish Place until 1992 when the building closed. This magnificent building was abandoned in 1992 after decades of underutilisation and redeveloped into apartments in the late 1990s. It is widely regarded as the most impressive cutlery works still standing in Sheffield and rivals the cotton mills of Lancashire and the West Riding in terms of architectural quality and heritage. The most impressive parts of the building are the east and west ranges which have Grade II* listed status while the rest of the works have the lower Grade II rating. page 6 Design and Access Statement The "Cornish" in the buildings name is thought to derive from the manufacture of Britannia metal which is made up of 93% tin which came from Cornwall. Globe Works The Globe Works are a former cutlery factory situated in Kelham Island. Globe Works dates back to 1824 and holds the title of being one of the world’s first, large-scale, specialist steel manufacturing centres. The Grade II* Listed Building was restored in the late 1980’s into a business centre. Internally, the property is well maintained and has an excellent mix of private and open plan offices throughout to provide ideal business centre accommodation. Brooklyn Works Brooklyn Works were constructed in the mid-19th century for the firm of Alfred Beckett, a manufacturer of steel, saws and files. The building was seriously damaged in March 1864 when the Great Sheffield Flood surged down the Don valley. page 7 Design and Access Statement Alfred Beckett & Sons Ltd continued to manufacture at the Brooklyn Works until the mid-1960s using the “Matchless” trademark. In 1967 Alfred Beckett & Sons was purchased by the Tempered Spring Company Ltd of Sheffield. The building stood empty for a period of time and was declared a listed building in November 1985 to protect it from demolition. In the 1990’s the Sheffield-based firm of AXIS Architecture turned the disused works into residential apartments and offices for small businesses. Among the small businesses now using the Brooklyn Works are a PR agency, a firm of solicitors and a web design company.