SHEFFIELD CITY COUNCIL Cabinet Report 8
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SHEFFIELD CITY COUNCIL Cabinet Report 8 Report of: Simon Green Executive Director Place ______________________________________________________________ Date: 23 March 2011 ______________________________________________________________ Subject: Attercliffe Action Plan ______________________________________________________________ Author of Report: John Bownes ______________________________________________________________ Summary: Attercliffe lies at the heart of the Lower Don Valley and is a mixture of local shopping centre, manufacturing and a growing residential population. It performs an important function locally and sub regionally but is generally under performing. The Attercliffe Action Plan outlines a series of interventions which together will ensure the area thrives and prospers and fulfils its full potential to the benefit of local people, local firms and visitors to the centre and leisure facilities nearby. This report summarises the proposals in the draft Action Plan, how it will be delivered and the implications that will arise. ______________________________________________________________ Reasons for Recommendations: The recommendation will enable officers to pursue the delivery of projects and proposals contained in the draft Attercliffe Action Plan and for Members to monitor and review the plan at regular intervals Recommendations: It is recommended that Cabinet: a) endorses the objectives, strategy, projects and other interventions contained within the action plan to secure a vital and sustainable future for Attercliffe; b) requests the Director of Housing Enterprise and Regeneration to investigate potential funding sources, drive forward delivery of the action plan and provide feedback at regular intervals on progress being made. Background Papers: NONE Category of Report: OPEN/CLOSED * Statutory and Council Policy Checklist Financial Implications YES Cleared by: PAUL SCHOFIELD Legal Implications NO Cleared by: JULIAN WARD Equ ality of Opportunity Implications YES Cleared by: IAN OLDERSHAW Tackling Health Inequalities Implications NO Human rights Implications NO: Environmental and Sustainability implications YES Economic impact YES Community safety implications YES Human resources implications YES Property implications YES Area(s) affected EAST Relevant Cabinet Portfolio Leader PENNY BAKER Relevant Scrutiny Committee if decision called in CULTURE, ECONOMY & SUSTAINABILITY Is the item a ma tter which is reserved for approval by the City Council? NO Press release YES REPORT OF EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR PLACE REPORT TOCABINET 23 MARCH, 2011 ATTERCLIFFE ACTION PLAN 1.0 SUMMARY 1.1 Attercliffe lies at the heart of the Lower Don Valley and is a mixture of local shopping centre, manufacturing and a growing residential population. It performs an important function locally and sub regionally but is generally under performing. The Attercliffe Action Plan outlines a series of interventions which together will ensure the area thrives and prospers and fulfils its full potential to the benefit of local people, local firms and visitors to the centre and leisure facilities nearby. 1.2 This report summarises the proposals in the draft action plan, how it will be delivered and the implications that will arise. 2.0 WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR SHEFFIELD PEOPLE ? 2.1 The draft action plan for Attercliffe provides a guide to reinvigorating this important local centre. It will result in an improved environment, more jobs, more enterprises, better support for local firms and services for both the growing local population and visitors to local leisure facilities and a secure future for Attercliffe local centre. 3.0 OUTCOME AND SUSTAINABILITY 3.1 The proposals contained in the draft action plan will help deliver a number of Corporate Plan priorities and in particular Thriving district and local centres; Delivering for business and encouraging enterprise; Creating the infrastructure for a modern strong economy; Reducing carbon footprint; Streets to be proud of and Promoting sustainable development. 4.0 BACKGROUND 4.1 Thriving District and Local Centres is one of the key priorities identified in the Council’s Corporate Plan ‘A City of Opportunity’. Attercliffe is one of these but is unique amongst the local centres across the city in that currently it has only a relatively small residential population but serves as a service, business and specialist shopping centre for the Lower Don Valley which remains the most important employment area for the City Region outside Sheffield City Centre. 4.2 Historically Attercliffe was the commercial, retail, entertainment and cultural/religious centre for the whole of the East End. Shops, banks, chapels, pubs and cinemas etc lined Attercliffe Road and Common well beyond the current site of the Arena. It retains a strong identity with many local families. 4.3 Relocation of the residential population in the 1970s and the huge structural changes in the steel industry since the 1980s led to decline and a significant reduction in the size of Attercliffe centre. Between 1986 and 1996 considerable public investment went into creating landscaped sites for development in Attercliffe, initially for the Sheffield Technology Park which attracted significant investment and employment whilst others were later developed as the successful Huntsman’s Gardens housing scheme. Crucially Attercliffe also became the location for many of the city’s key sporting assets including the English Institute of Sport, the Sheffield Arena, Don Valley Stadium and Bowl and Ice Sheffield. 4.4 The greening of East End Park, the Canal Corridor and the Five Weirs Walk have also created a wider landscape setting restoring a natural environment degraded by 200 years of heavy industry. In recent years there has also been the beginning of substantial new housing development nearby stimulated by the Housing Market Renewal Programme and there is capacity for much more as set out in the Area Development Framework. 4.5 However all of this investment has had only a limited impact on the Attercliffe centre itself, which still has a slightly neglected feel to it. Whilst there are many buildings with character and quality and relatively few empty premises there are prominent vacant sites and premises in need of improvement and a number of sex businesses which dominate first impressions. The large numbers of visitors and employees at the sports and technology companies do not choose to shop or linger in Attercliffe. 4.6 A group of property owners and businesses based in the centre have established themselves into a forum called Attercliffe Business Connection (ABC). ABC members are actively seeking to promote development in the area and want the Council to do the same. They are also trying to get all businesses and property owners in Attercliffe to improve the appearance of their premises and for the Council to clean up and maintain landscaped areas and public car parks. 4.7 In response to the enthusiasm of ABC members and in order to make the most of future regeneration opportunities an action plan has been commissioned by the Council. This has been produced by a team of external consultants led by Building Design Partnership and Council officers with a representative of ABC on the steering group. 4.8 The action plan will be used to promote economic regeneration and the renewal of Attercliffe Centre and will provide a clearly defined guide for development and investment decisions within the area by the public and private sectors. It will be interim planning guidance and will supplement and, where necessary, update existing planning policy for the area and inform completion of the new Sheffield Development Framework (SDF) documents. It will also be used in support of applications to public funding bodies to deliver these key projects where such support is necessary. 5.0 OBJECTIVES 5.1 The draft action plan aims to achieve the following objectives: • A more sustainable and diverse centre that serves and attracts surrounding workers, passing trade and an increasing local residential population; • An enhanced public realm that bolsters investor confidence; gives greater priority to the pedestrian within the ‘High Street’ environment; maximises access and enjoyment of the canalside and green Chichester spaces and enhances the first impressions of the city • A continued and growing employment role, building on Attercliffe’s very accessible location and its mix of manufacturing , technological, sports and service businesses and attracting new start ups and enterprises • An increased provision of residential accommodation between Darnall and Attercliffe • An excellent reputation as a sports / leisure destination and increasing the dwell time of visitors to these sports and leisure facilities in Attercliffe. • More imaginative harnessing of the heritage interest of Attercliffe. • Support and promote the educational and cultural activities already present in the centre 6.0 DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY 6.1 The draft action plan sets out an overall direction for the future regeneration of the Attercliffe area. It seeks to build on the existing assets and address some of the issues and threats that have been identified through the action plan process. 6.2 In the current economic context, flexibility in the delivery of projects is critical to respond to continuing changes in the property market and economy and the need to anticipate and prepare for an upturn in the market. The Development Strategy therefore provides flexibility in setting an overarching framework to the more