Tipi, or not tipi?

Good afternoon readers — and welcome to our Monday briefing.

After our experience with the ill-fated Container Park on Fargate, you can probably forgive Sheffielders for being sceptical over another pop-up food, drink and entertainment venue. However, the company behind Thor’s Tipi (who some readers may remember from the Peace Gardens in Christmas 2018) clearly think the demand is there and want to build one on a vacant plot in Sheffield city centre, possibly for the next five years. So called “meanwhile uses” are a way of bringing vibrancy to an area until a more permanent use can be found. But what does it say about the strength of our economy that a prime spot in the city centre isn’t going to be properly developed for years? That’s our big story today.

As well as that we have a beautiful home in Meersbrook, the return of the Pint of Science festival, and the Northern Lights come to Sheffield.

Catch up and coming up

For our literary weekend read, Sophie Atkinson revisited Phillip Hensher’s Booker-prize nominated novel The Northern Clemency and asked what its tale of Londoners moving to Sheffield can tell us about the more recent waves of immigration from our nation’s capital. You can still read that piece here.

Last week we sent out two great newsletters to our 2,166 paying members. In the first, music writer Jim Ottewill introduced a Sheffield-flavoured extract from his book Out of Space, which looks at how major British cities contributed to 90s rave culture. And in the second, Dan delved into how simmering community tensions in the middle-class Sheffield suburb of Ecclesall have led to vigilantism and the removal of a vulnerable family. An extract from that second piece is below.

According to an eyewitness, a group of around 30 boys marched towards a house on Ecclesall Road. There they were met with a barrage of abuse, stones and bricks from the family inside. Given the scale of the incident, it wasn’t long before police arrived. The family who were living in the house left the following day. I wanted to know why such a surprising incident happened in the relatively quiet atmosphere of S11. What I heard were stories of violence that led a group of children to turn vigilante, effectively chasing a troubled yet vulnerable family from their home.

This year we’ll send out two more including an interview with Abtisam Mohamed, the woman who hopes to become the next MP for Sheffield Central, and another update in the long-running saga of the Abbeydale Picture House. To help fund a new way of doing local journalism funded by paying members rather than clickbait and celebrity, please consider becoming a member (if you haven’t already). It costs £1.71 a week or 24p a day if you pay for 12 months up front (£89).

Editor’s note: We know some stories resonate with people more than others, and our piece about community tensions in Ecclesall last week was one such. A massive 37 new members joined up to read it. Welcome to you all and we hope you enjoy all our members only content this week. If you want to comment on stories, get access to all our journalism, and be invited to special members' events, click the button above and become a member of The Tribune today.

World class music in intimate venues for Sheffield Chamber Music Festival's 40^th birthday

From today's sponsor: For their 40^th anniversary festival, Music in the Round has enlisted guest curator Steven Isserlis, "one of the greatest cellists of all time" (Classic FM) to craft nine days of concerts featuring music from Bach, Mozart, Tchaikovsky and more. Some of this year's highlights include a unique night of Saint-Saëns music — which features a screening of the very first film to have a specially commissioned score (details) — and an evening of French music with Roderick Williams (singer soloist at King Charles III's Coronation) for a night in Paris featuring music by Fauré and Poulenc (details). 

The festival is an incredible opportunity to see world-class musicians right here in Sheffield — don't miss out. To see the full programme and book tickets, click here.

The big picture: Northern skies 🌌

Social media was awash with photos of the Northern Lights’ surprise appearance in and around Sheffield on Friday. This incredible shot was taken by Peaklass on Instagram in nearby Hathersage.

This week’s weather 🌥

Our weather forecast comes from dedicated Sheffield weather service Steel City Skies, who say this week will be more changeable as low pressure brings a mild mix of sunshine and scattered showers or longer periods of rain. More typical spring fare!

Monday 🌥 A cold front makes slow progress east, leaving us dry, warm and bright ahead of it. Moderate southerly breezes and highs of 22°C.

Tuesday 🌧 The aforementioned cold front is likely to stall over the region, slowly fading to lighter rain later on. Cooler with highs of 17°C.

Wednesday 🌦 Brighter and warmer with sunny spells but also areas of cloud and a risk of showers on the breeze from the east. Highs of 19°C.

Thursday 🌦 Similar, with low cloud and mist burning back to leave bright spells and developing showers as the low to the south fills. Highs of 20°C.

Friday 🌦 Further showers likely, but also some pleasant drier and brighter periods as is typical in spring. Mainly light breezes and highs close to 20°C.

Outlook: No real dominance to any pressure pattern by next weekend, with neither settled or unsettled weather favoured. Rather warm, with a chance of showers.

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

The big story: Tipi, or not tipi?

Top line: A new temporary pop-up food, drink and entertainment venue could soon be built on a vacant plot in Sheffield city centre. Can Thor’s Tipi succeed where Container Park failed?

Since Midcity House was razed to the ground earlier this year, a massive plot at the junction of Pinstone Street, Furnival Gate and Union Street has been left empty. Over the past two decades, the site seems to be where planning applications go to die. Proposals in 2006 for a 19-storey building never materialised, while two separate plans for a 25-storey tower and a 32-storey tower in 2018 and 2020 also fell through.

• The Thor’s Tipi idea comes from Fabler, the same firm that last operated a similar venue in the Peace Gardens in 2018.
• The planning application states that the venue would be there for at least two and possibly up to five years.
• It would be open from 11am-11pm, 364 days a year, and if given the go ahead could be open by late summer.

So-called “meanwhile” uses such as these are increasingly common. One of the first container developments was Boxpark in Shoreditch in East London which is now 13 years old, and another in Newcastle was so popular that when it finally came time to get rid of it people campaigned for it to stay. But it’s not just food and drink venues. In Sheffield, an empty unit on The Moor is currently the Soft Ground art gallery, while over in Orchard Square, the Archer Project-linked social enterprise Printed By Us has been granted the use of empty units as the shopping and leisure centre’s charity partner.

But there are also risks. Obviously, it might not take off. The Tribune (well, Dan) infamously came out in support of the ill-fated Container Park only to get egg on his face after it crashed and burned. And could there also be too much competition in Sheffield? The company Stack which operates similar venues in the north east and Manchester were recently given permission to build a container development on Arundel Gate which is expected to open in early 2025. And Thor’s Tipi would be just yards away from the Cambridge Street Collective, a huge new food hall which is part of the Heart of the City development, and the popular food halls at Orchard Square and the Moor Market as well. Just how many street food outlets do we really need in Sheffield?

Our take: The fact that such a prime spot in Sheffield city centre isn’t attracting more interest is a bit worrying, but it’s good to know it will get some use while the site’s owners decide what to do with it in the longer term. As our city centres change to shift away from being entirely retail-based towards leisure experiences and residential uses, we can expect these temporary meanwhile uses to become increasingly common. Only time will tell if Thor’s Tipi is a roaring success or follows in the footsteps of the Container Park as an ignominious failure.

What do you think of the plans for Thor’s Tipi? As ever, paying members can join the debate in the comments section.

The Weekly Whitworth ✍️

Cartoonist James Whitworth with his own take on this week’s big story.

Our media picks 🔗

Husband charged with setting ‘man trap’ at couple’s home 💣 An army bomb squad swarmed the village of Grimethorpe, near Barnsley, last week after police raiding the home of an allegedly criminal couple in their 50s found a number of “suspicious items”. Ian Claughton, 58, and Lesley Claughton, 57, both of Brierley Road, have since been charged with possessing a firearm and “being concerned with the production of class B drugs,” while Ian has also been accused of setting a “man trap” in their home. More than 130 villagers were evacuated from their homes while the bomb squad worked, as a precaution, but were allowed to return home later that day.

'UFO' filmed flying over Sheffield — and witness says they have proof it's not a plane 🛸 The Star bagged themselves an out of this world story last week after a Sheffield mum claimed to have captured footage of a UFO flying over Sheffield on 6th May. Jennifer Dunstan says she was unable to identify any flights that would have been passing over her location when she looked on a flight-tracking app, although several helpful Star readers later suggested it resembled an Airbus Beluga. “If nothing else it might make people in Sheffield laugh,” she told the Star. “Leave it to me and my cousin to go out for a little walk and spot a UFO.”

Sheffield United set new low as dire season keeps getting worse ⚽ Sheffield United have set a record as the most charitable opponents in Premier League history, after giving away 101 goals in a single season. According to Goal.com, the Blades have conceded an average of 2.7 goals per game in 2023-24. Over the course of this season, the team has won only three out of 37 matches and suffered its biggest defeat in September, when Newcastle beat them 8-0.

Home of the week 🏡

This “charming and versatile” four bedroom Meersbrook semi has been recently renovated and has a separate two-storey workshop/office space in the garden. It’s on the market for £450,000.

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 in the first poll instance, and we will treat your information with confidence and sensitivity.

Things to do 📆

Science 🔬 Discover the latest science research from University of Sheffield academics when Pint of Science returns this week. Taking place over four venues (99 Mary Street, the Lescar, Alder Bar, and the Sheffield Tap) across three evenings (Monday 13-Wednesday 15 May) this year’s festival will cover topics including growing spare body parts in the lab, gendered data justice and the secrets to ageing and longevity. Each talk costs £5 and run from 7pm-9.30pm.

History 🔤 On Thursday, Kelham Island Museum will be hosting an evening celebrating all things print, typography and letterforms. The event is inspired by Stephenson Blake, a Sheffield type foundry that came from modest beginnings in 1818 to become the largest supplier of metal type in the UK. Expect a variety of demos, hands on activities, longer workshops and a bar. Tickets are £5 and the event runs from 7pm-10pm. Our piece on Stephenson Blake from 2022 is here.

Music 🎷 This Saturday, Sheffield Jazz will mark their 50th anniversary with a special birthday concert at the Crucible. The evening will include performances from two all-star quartets led by multi-award winning British jazz musicians. Rising star Emma Rawicz has been described as an “astonishing new talent” while Tony Kofi’s collaborations read like “who’s who” of jazz. Tickets are £5-£20 and doors open at 7.15pm. For more on the history of Sheffield Jazz, click here.