Park Hill is a success story, but doubts about affordability linger

Good afternoon readers — and welcome to our Monday briefing.

Happy Threads Day! It was 40 years ago today, on 23 September, 1984, that Sheffield was blown up on the BBC. Screened to a public already terrified of imminent nuclear war, it was later called “The Night When Nobody Slept”. The film remains a harrowing watch to this day and stands as a salutary warning of the madness of mutually assured destruction. To read the brilliant piece Nicholas Booth wrote about it for The Tribune from 2021, click here.

Bits of Park Hill flats still look a bit like a nuclear bomb was dropped on Sheffield in 1984, but that’s soon going to change. Planning permission was granted for the fifth and final phase of the regeneration last week, meaning the development should finally be completed in the next few years. When Manchester-based developer Urban Splash first started work on Park Hill in 2006, they promised social housing would make up 20% of the flats in the redevelopment. However, over the last few years, those promises have been conveniently forgotten. That’s our big story today.

As well as that, we have a Nether Edge home with a bathroom that has to be seen to be believed, and find out about both the history of Sheffield newspapers, and the city’s status as a hotspot for craft beer, as the University of Sheffield’s Festival of the Mind continues.

Catch up

For our weekend read, Mina Miller sampled the best of the city’s Caribbean food, a cuisine that often goes underappreciated by food writers like herself. Admittedly some of these establishments rely almost entirely on word-of-mouth advertising, making them a little difficult to find much trace of online, but Mina is nothing if not tenacious in her quest for the best jerk chicken or ackee and saltfish. You can read that piece here. 

Of course, our paying subscribers received an additional two editions of The Tribune. In the first, Dan tried out a new format focusing on Sheffield’s best asset — its people — in which he interviewed neighbours about their lives together. In the second, Victoria took a long look at the feel-good story that “put Sheffield on the world map” in 2019: namely, pensioner Tony Foulds’ years of devotion to the Mi Amigo crash memorial. It touched the hearts of thousands, both here and across the globe — but was it true? You can read an extract of that piece below. 

The reason for this egregious error, Foulds explains, is that the information on the board is based on the research of Paul Allonby, who wrote a book about the crash called Courage Above the Clouds[...] Foulds takes a very dim view of this book — it is “not genuine” — and of Allonby in general, who he views as the leader of the campaign against him. When describing being specially taken to visit the former RAF station in Chelveston last year — where the Mi Amigo crew were based and where he “sat on the runway and cried like a baby” to think he was where they once walked — he abruptly breaks off and gestures at the offending board. His nay-sayers, such as Allonby, can’t claim to have been granted such an honour. “They have never done that, they’ve never been to Chelveston.”

Editor’s note: So far, 24 people have joined The Tribune’s more than 2,300 paying members to read last Thursday’s piece and we’re ecstatic to have them join us! Whether you’re interested in hard-hitting investigations or feel-good features, you’ll receive even more well-written and thoroughly researched pieces of journalism each week, in addition to the weekend read that we send to our entire list. Furthermore, our paying members make it possible to offer those free stories to the rest of the city, ensuring even those who can’t afford to support us can benefit from what we do.

From today’s sponsor: Every week, when we recommend the best reads in this newsletter, we link to the Financial Times. Why? Because its writers produce some of the richest journalism in the country. Take, for instance, their remarkable long reads in FT Weekend and the award-winning investigation into the now-collapsed fintech giant Wirecard. Now, for a limited time only, you can get 50% off an annual digital subscription to the FT. That’s just £4.40 per week for peerless reporting on politics, culture, business, and international affairs. Click here to claim the offer before it’s gone. Thanks to the FT for sponsoring today’s edition. 

The big picture: Need for speed 🏍️

Richard Newby took this picture of the Speedway motorcycle race last week, in which local team Sheffield Tigers unfortunately lost to the Belle Vue Aces. You can find more of Richard’s photography on his website here.

The big story: Park Hill is a success story, but doubts about affordability linger

Top line: Park Hill flats are finally going to be completed, almost two decades after the project began. When Manchester-based developer Urban Splash first took on the project, they promised to build housing that would be available to the whole of Sheffield. Have they?

End in sight: Last week, developer Urban Splash was granted permission to start work on the fifth and final phase of Park Hill. The plans state that “a mixed-use development made up of 105 flats and [one] commercial space” will be created in the block nearest Talbot Street.

• Phase 4 of the project was granted planning permission in 2023, turning the dilapidated block off Duke Street into 125 flats and 2 commercial units. Work on Phases 4 and 5 will take place over the next two years.
• The news came as Phase 2 of the project was named as a nominee for the RIBA Stirling Prize, the most prestigious architecture prize in the UK. Phase 1 was nominated for the same prize in 2014, but didn’t win.

Promises, promises: When Urban Splash were first granted outline planning permission for the project in 2006, they promised a fifth of the flats would be social housing while the rest would be sold on the private market. However, while Phase 1 did include social housing (96 of the 260 flats), Phase 2 had none. Urban Splash now say 20% of the flats in Phase 4 will be available through affordable tenure, while in phase 5, only that “some” of them will be. 

Off the hook: However, as we wrote earlier this year, meeting planning conditions isn’t something you aspire to do, it’s something you have to do. Despite being given millions of pounds of public money, Urban Splash have been allowed to wriggle out of their responsibilities as a result of a council decision that stated the 20% rule didn’t apply to phases 4 and 5. It’s unclear at what point the council made this decision, or why it was done out of the public eye.

Viability concerns: At the Sheffield Council planning meeting where Phase 5 was signed off last week, concerns were raised about the scheme’s lack of social housing, as well as bike parking and solar panels. The planning officers’ report states that as the development falls within the city centre affordable housing market area (where affordable housing is generally considered to be unviable), the council was not seeking an affordable housing contribution.

• Planning officer Sarah Hull said the application must be considered on its own merits with regard to current planning policies, and that there would be “no justification” to refuse the standalone Phase 5 proposal based on a lack of affordable housing.
• Urban Splash development manager Steve Thomas said that they “still intended” to deliver more affordable housing in Phase 4 and 5 (however, affordable housing is not the same as social housing, which is what Park Hill flats were originally built to be).

Bottom line: It’s great that Park Hill is finally going to be completed, and that it has a chance of winning the most prestigious architecture prize in the UK. But the lack of social housing is disappointing. When Park Hill was completed in the 1960s, the flats were meant to be for everyone, regardless of their ability to pay. When Urban Splash took it on 20 years ago, they promised that at least some of this vision would remain. There will be some social housing in the new Park Hill, but it will be a long way short of the 20% that was originally promised.

Further reading: Park Hill’s developer was given millions for affordable flats. So where are they?

The weekly Whitworth ✏️

Cartoonist James Whitworth with his take on the controversy around Endcliffe Park’s Mi Amigo memorial.

This week’s weather 🌦️

Our weather forecast comes from dedicated Sheffield weather service Steel City Skies, who say an unsettled and cool week ahead with regular bouts of rain or showers. Better by the weekend.

Monday 🌧 Wet throughout the day with outbreaks of rain on and off, leading to flooding in prone spots. Northerly breezes with highs of 16°C.

Tuesday 🌦 Drier and brighter for most with some sunshine. A scattering of mostly light showers later, though some staying dry throughout. Highs of 16°C.

Wednesday 🌧 Cloud increasing with outbreaks of rain likely by the afternoon. Light easterly winds and feeling cool with highs of 14°C.

Thursday 🌧 Winds back more to the northwest and freshen as more rain looks likely to spread in from the southwest. Highs a cool 14°C at best.

Friday 🌦 Fronts clear to bring us a mix of sunshine and scattered heavy showers with brisk and cool northwesterly winds. Highs of 13°C and cold overnight.

Outlook: A ridge looks likely to bring a cool but more settled weekend with fewer showers and bright or sunny spells. Risk of rural frost overnight.

To see the full forecast and keep up to date with any changes to the outlook, follow Steel City Skies on Facebook.

Coming up

This week, our paying members will receive two extra editions of The Tribune. In the first, Victoria chats to a young local clothing brand founder, whose designs have already caught the attention of pop stars like Billie Eilish. In the second, Dan investigates a fitness influencer couple, who might not be what they claim to be. If you’d like to read those pieces, become a paying subscriber today. It costs just £1.71 a week or a mere 24p a day (about one sip’s worth of a decent coffee) if you pay for 12 months up front.

Our media picks 🔗

Vigil marks one year since footballer’s death ⚽ It’s now been a year since Sheffield United player Maddy Cusack was found dead in her home — a tragedy that rocked the football community and sparked an inquiry by the Football Association that is still ongoing today. Last Friday, her loved ones and former teammates gathered for a vigil at the club’s Bramall Lane ground. Teammate Nina Wilson told those gathered: “You never wanted to play against Maddy, but she was the best team-mate I ever had off the pitch and on the pitch.” Maddy’s sister Olivia told the BBC the family are hoping the FA will “do the right thing,” adding: "It's important we don't skim over what happened." 

University of Sheffield named runner-up for University of the Year 🎓 The University of Sheffield narrowly missed out on being named university of the year in the annual Good University Guide produced by The Times and Sunday Times. Overall, the university was ranked 14th in the UK, rising four places since last year’s guide, and the best in the Yorkshire region. The papers cited the university’s success in attracting more than 43,000 students this year, particularly from state schools, as well as high student satisfaction and its award-winning students’ union. 

K.O.G. at The Crescent, York 🎤 The Yorkshire Post reviewed a gig by Sheffield-based singer Kweku Sackey, who performs as Kweku Of Ghana (K.O.G.). Kweku’s sound is deeply rooted in the music he grew up listening to in Ghana, fused with hip-hop, funk and rock. He is touring to promote his second solo album Don’t Take My Soul, an “Afro-futurist musical odyssey” with a deeply positive message. The Post writes: “There’s not a body in the room that isn’t in perpetual motion, nor a face without a broad grin on it.”

Home of the week 🏡

Only seven people have owned this five-bedroom detached home in Nether Edge since it was built in 1853. The property is in need of modernisation (apart from the bright pink toilet, that’s perfect as it is), but it’s packed full of period features and charm. It’s on the market for £750,000.

Tribune tips: If you want to tell us about a story or give us some information, please email editor@sheffieldtribune.co.uk. We are always happy to speak to people off the record, and we will treat your information with confidence and sensitivity.

Things to do 📆

News 🗞️ The University of Sheffield’s Festival of the Mind continues this week with dozens of events over three sites in the city centre. In the Spiegeltent on Tuesday at 1pm is “Late Night Final”, in which former journalist Clare Jenkins will host an illustrated talk about the history of Sheffield newspapers — a world of police calls, murders and traffic accidents, weddings and funerals, council meetings and courts, the Battle of Orgreave and the Hillsborough tragedy.

Beer 🍻 Also on Tuesday in the Spiegeltent (5pm), Sheffield Beer Week and Hop Hideout founder Jules Gray will introduce an expert panel including beer expert Pete Brown, and Professor Phil Withington and Dr Nick Groat, whose research explores the idea of “craft”, particularly as it applies to Sheffield’s brewing and distilling industries — and of course beer. The event will be followed by a tasting of some of Sheffield’s finest beer producers (pay at bar).

Comedy 🗑️ To The Leadmill on Tuesday comes Count Binface, the nation’s favourite novelty politician. Policies including cheaper croissants, the nationalisation of Adele, the return of Ceefax, and water bosses to take a dip in UK rivers to see how they like it won him 24,260 votes in London, beating Britain First. The show features his unique take on Britain, his special brand of sci-fi satire, and his unbeatable manifesto. Tickets are £16. Doors open at 6.30pm.

Thanks to the FT for sponsoring today’s edition — get your discounted subscription now.