Meadowhall Expansion Plans Under Consideration
Planners at Sheffield City Council are considering plans to extend the Meadowhall Shopping Centre, which lies three miles northeast of the city centre. The BBC reports that the proposals, submitted by British Land, involve the development of a new leisure hall, which would contain a gym, bars, and restaurants.
There are further plans to create outdoor adventure activity provisions on a nearby site. The 11-screen multiplex view cinema would also be expanded, and extra retail space would be created. The plans have been revised down since the initial submission in 2019, after the pandemic saw the departure of some key retailers from the site.
After the collapse of the Debenhams department store in May, and the closure of the John Lewis store in Sheffield in March, Nalin Seneviratne, the council’s director of city centre development, said the Meadowhall plans would create a conflict of interest with the city centre.
Mr Seneviratne said: “Meadowhall is the dominant retail destination in the region but the city remains the main centre for catering and leisure. Maintaining this and a diverse quality retail offer in the city centre is vital to ensuring sustainability.”
He added: “The loss of these anchor stores changes Sheffield’s retail landscape significantly. The impact of the Meadowhall application must be considered against this current position. The expansion risks deflecting Sheffield’s development and growth and would leave both [Meadowhall and Sheffield city centre] fighting to attract a limited pool of tenants.”
British Land, who own the site, subsequently submitted revised plans, which have now been recommended for approval by Sheffield City Council planning department. The new focus will be on retailers which supply homeware, outdoor equipment, and sports gear.
British Land emphasised that they have sought outline planning permission, and the scheme would remain flexible for the time being.
The report submitted by British Land said: “The applicant has demonstrated a site-specific case for Meadowhall to widen its leisure and food and drink offer in order to compete with other regional centres and to meet customers’ needs.”
It continued: “It has also shown that there are significant economic and employment benefits from the development in respect of the continued success of Meadowhall – which employs a considerable number of people and attracts spending and visitors from outside the area.”
“Also, employment and economic development benefits will arise directly and indirectly from the construction and operation of the development.”
The scheme could potentially generate £71.5 million for the local economy, plus and extra 850 jobs, the developers claim. Since Meadowhall opened on the site of a former steelworks in 1990, it has proved to be a popular destination for shopping and leisure in the region.
However, some commentators claim that it has contributed to the decline of both Sheffield and Rotherham city centres. Meadowhall is well served with transport links, as it is accessible by a national train, bus, and tram interchange. It also benefits from a park and ride scheme, and is a short distance from junction 31 of the M1.
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