Park Hill Sheffield Phase 3, Urban Splash and Alumno development, South Yorkshire housing news

Park Hill Phase 3 Sheffield Redevelopment, UK

Contemporary South Yorkshire Residential Development, Northern England design by Whittam Cox Architects, UK

23 May 2019

Phase 3 of Sheffield’s Park Hill redevelopment commences

London and Sheffield, 23rd May 2019 – The transformation of Park Hill has taken another significant step forward. Specialist student accommodation developer Alumno has commenced work on Phase 3 of the redevelopment programme.

images © Whittam Cox Architects

Park Hill Phase 3 Redevelopment

Alumno’s proposals comprise 74 unique townhouse style units to accommodate 356 new student residents, alongside further new commercial space for use by residents and the local community.

The proposals were developed in collaboration with local practice Whittam Cox Architects, and offer a range of living space in a format new to the student accommodation sector, that offers a wide range of choice and options. Alumno has engaged respected interior designer Ben Kelly Design (BKD) along with Brinkworth Design to deliver the shared community space for students.

The proposals were developed through extensive consultation with local stakeholders, Heritage England and students from Sheffield Hallam University (SHU).

Alumno is undertaking a thorough and sensitive refurbishment approach to ensure the historic character of the building is respected, including restoring the numerous bespoke mosaic panels across the block. The proposals will add a distinct yet complementary new neighbourhood to Sheffield, and will build on the work Urban Splash has already achieved in reinvigorating Park Hill and making it a benchmark in regeneration and urban renewal.

Park Hill, set in an extensive landscaped setting, benefits from a fantastic location close to Sheffield City Centre and station. Students studying at SHU’s City Centre Campus will be the closest – just 5 minutes’ walk – whilst students from University of Sheffield (UoS) will enjoy direct tram services from Sheffield Hallam Station stop to the UoS main campus.

Sheffield’s iconic Brutalist development is the largest listed structure in Europe and a landmark on the Sheffield skyline. David Campbell, Managing Director of Alumno, said “This is a one-off and a blueprint project, and students interested in architecture and design are particularly excited about the prospect of living in a world-renowned architectural icon.”

Construction Partner

Alumno has appointed Kier to deliver its brand-new £20m student accommodation at the iconic Park Hill flats in Sheffield. Alumno has successfully delivered projects with Kier in Durham, Aberdeen and Glasgow.

The project is due to complete in Autumn 2020.

John O’Callaghan, Managing Director for Kier Northern, commented: “We’re thrilled to be working on the refurbishment of this iconic building in Sheffield and delivering high-quality homes for its students. To benefit the local community we have committed to creating four employment opportunities and have two on-site apprentices.”

Commenting on the appointment, Campbell added: “This is an iconic site with international significance – forming a crucial part of Sheffield’s past, present and future – and will be one of our most important projects to date. We’re pleased to be working with Kier again given our longstanding and successful relationship, where we have delivered several schemes over the years.

Building on a sense of community

A fantastic community of residents and businesses have so far have come to call Park Hill home, with an exciting mix of more students, residents, businesses and cultural institutions to come. Campbell further added: “During a recent interview for BBC Look North, current Park Hill resident Sue Payne said she was pleased students would be moving into the area in 2020, as they would add to the vibrancy of the area.

We always place great emphasis on placemaking and inclusion of the local community in our schemes, so this open-minded attitude is fantastic to hear. Our scheme will be managed by an experienced facilities management company which is very used to event organisation for the students, and there is no reason why this cannot include the whole community.”

Park Hill Phase 3 Renewal Background

Phase 3 and Park Hill

Alumno’s development will further accelerate the creation of a new neighbourhood within Park Hill alongside the completed Phase 1 and Phase 2, where works recently started. Phase 1 – which was shortlisted for the RIBA Stirling Prize in 2013 – is complete and includes 260 homes and 10 contemporary workspaces occupied by creative and digital businesses, the South Street Kitchen café and Grace Owen Nursery. Work has also started on Phase 2 which will see Urban Splash and its joint venture partner Places for People create 200 residential properties and more commercial space. Phase 4, Park Hill Arts Space, was recently submitted for planning.

The start of works on Phase 3 follows the announcement in March 2019 that investment in Park Hill has now reached £100 million.

Annual spend by students in Phase 3 in Sheffield is estimated to be around £2 million per annum.
Park Hill recently inspired a new musical “Standing at the Sky’s Edge” written by Chris Bush and music by former Pulp member Richard Hawley. The show has just completed a sold out run at Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre.

About Alumno

Alumno, established in 2006, partner with universities, colleges and other stakeholders to provide high quality living space for over 4,000 students to date across the UK including London, Birmingham, Norwich, Glasgow, Durham and St Andrews.

Alumno delivers distinct and sensitive designs, carefully engaging with local residents to integrate their developments for the benefit of the existing community. Its schemes introduce a mix of other uses alongside the student accommodation.
www.alumnogroup.com

About Kier

Kier Group plc is a leading infrastructure services, buildings and developments & housing group. We operate across a range of sectors including defence, education, health, housing, industrials, power, transport and utilities. Listed on the London Stock Exchange, we are a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.

With a head office at Tempsford Hall in Bedfordshire and a network of over 85 UK offices Kier offers national coverage across all of its core activities. With a turnover in excess of £4bn, Kier has the financial strength and technical expertise to undertake some of the most significant construction, civil engineering and service contracts in the country.

More info / images for this Urban Splash Development in Sheffield online soon

Previously on e-architect:

26 Jul 2018

Park Hill Sheffield Phase 3

Phase 3 of Sheffield’s Iconic Park Hill gets Planning Permission

Design: Whittam Cox Architects

The regeneration of Park Hill continues as Sheffield City Council grants permission for Phase 3 of the redevelopment by specialist student accommodation developer Alumno.

Park Hill Phase 3 Sheffield

30 Jan 2018