Sheffield City Centre & Kelham Island
Conservation Area Appraisals & Management Plans
Welcome
This website provides initial information on the new Conservation Area Appraisals and Management Plans that are being produced for Sheffield. This first batch will cover the City Centre and Kelham Island, exploring their special interest and opportunities to improve people's lives through conservation and regeneration of the historic environment.
This website will continue to be updated as consultation is carried out and the project develops, so check back regularly for updates.
Sheffield City Council & Historic England
Following the successful bids for funding from the Government and Historic England, Sheffield City Council appointed a suitably qualified and experienced consultant to work with the Design, Conservation and Trees Team (DCT) and advisors from Historic England , to review and produce content for two Conservation Area Appraisals and corresponding Management Plans for Sheffield City Centre and Kelham Island Industrial Conservation Area as a first phase of works.
The procurement assessment was based on a submission of a quote and response to a number of questions and marks were weighted 75% to quality and 25% to cost. Five heritage consultants in total bid for the work and Donald Insall Associates were the successful consultants appointed following the process.
The CAAMPs will include:
1. High-quality appraisals which will be instrumental in better planning decision making
2. High-quality, effective management plans, capturing key opportunities for enhancement and issues as well as community/stakeholder aspirations.
Donald Insall Associates
Donald Insall Associates has pioneered a creative approach to managing change within the historic environment for over 65 years. A 140-strong practice of both architects and heritage consultants, it has led nationally significant projects including the decade-long conservation of Westminster Hall, which won the Europa Nostra Award 2024, and the ongoing work to revitalise Wentworth Woodhouse in Yorkshire. A proudly BCorp-certified and employee-owned practice, their clients include custodians of the most significant historic buildings in the UK, preservation trusts applying for National Lottery Heritage Fund support, owners of country estates as well as local authorities.
Insalls have worked across the north of England to support Local Authorities with conservation area appraisals and management plans, including at Hexham, Hoylake, Oldham, Macclesfield, Craster, Knutsford, Birkenhead Park and Chester Rows. Many of these have now been adopted and are important planning tools for those managing the special interest of our historic places.
What is a Conservation Area?
An area of special architectural or historic interest the character or appearance of which it is desirable to preserve or enhance.
There is a duty on Local Authorities to identify those parts of their district that are of special interest and to designate them as conservation areas.
The designation recognises the quality of a place as a whole which comes from the combination of individual buildings, streets, green spaces, trees and other features.
What does Conservation Area Designation Mean?
- Designation ensures the protection of the historic character and unique aspects of historic buildings and street scenes.
- Designation can provide the framework to help unlock the regenerative potential of an areas’ heritage, increasing access to grants and heritage funding schemes.
- There are some additional planning controls to protect what makes the conservation area special; these tend to affect the external appearance of properties.
- Under the legislation, the planning authority, on receiving a planning application in a conservation area, is required to ensure any development will preserve or enhance the special nature of the area.
- ‘Permitted development rights’ for single householders are reduced in a conservation area, meaning that planning permission is needed for such things as extensions and changes to the roof.
- In addition, there are further controls regarding demolition, advertising, change of use and works to trees.
- These are all designed to ensure the area is preserved and enhanced and is an attractive place to live and work today and for future generations.
- Conservation Areas can be split into 'character areas' that have a distinct character or appearance. This does not affect the level of designation applied to the whole.
What is a CAAMP and why do we need one?
Councils have a duty to ‘formulate and publish proposals for the preservation and enhancement’ of conservations areas (s.71 Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990). The normal format is a Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Plan or CAAMP.
The Sheffield CAAMPs will contains the following:
- A statement of its special interest
- A brief history of the area
- Assessment the characteristics that make it special; for example, its historic buildings, streetscape, views, urban spaces and the activities which take place within the area
- Breaks down the conservation area into ‘character areas’ to allow a more detailed understanding
- Identifies the issues the area faces, such as the erosion of tradition detailing or vacant sites etc. and explores the opportunities for improvement
- Undertakes a review of the boundary, with reasoned justifications for proposed changes; and
- The Management Plan will provide guidance to those living or working in the conservation area, and a framework to guide decisions made by the Council.
At its heart, the CAAMPs explore the opportunities to improve people’s lives through the revitalisation and regeneration of valued historic places.
Methodology
We are guided by national legislation and best practice guidance from Historic England, the government’s heritage advisor.
The CAAMPs will be developed through the following processes:
- Site Visits - to develop knowledge and understanding of the conservation area
- Research - to understand the area’s past
- Early engagement - to gather the views of local stakeholders
- Drafting of the Appraisal, Management Plan and reviewing the boundaries
- Public Consultation - to gather opinion and feedback on the draft document and proposed boundary changes
- The Final Document will be adopted by the Council once all views and comments have been taken into consideration
The assessment which provides the baseline information for the CAAMPs will be carried out utilising publicly available resources and thorough on-site analysis from the publicly accessible parts of the conservation area. Although this document is intended to be comprehensive, specific mention will not be made of every building or feature. Their omission does not imply that the element is not significant or does not positively contribute to the character and special interest of the conservation area.
For more information, see Historic England guidance on designating and managing conservation areas, and on heritage-led regeneration.
Sheffield Plan
Listening Sessions
At this early stage in the project, invitation-only Listening Sessions are being held with key stakeholders in the City and are intended to seek views on the significance, conservation and boundaries of the two CAAs (City Centre and Kelham Island).
Key Questions:
1. What are the opportunities or concerns about designation?
2. Are the existing boundaries still valid, and are there any 'character areas'?
3. What are the key characteristics that should be preserved?
4. What are the key buildings, spaces and views?
Sheffield City Centre
The interactive map adjacent shows the current boundary of the City Centre Conservation Area and the listed buildings contained within it.
Significant heritage-led regeneration activity has been focussed in the City Centre with Heart of the City I and II schemes in recent years. Updating the existing appraisal and ensuring ongoing appropriate management of change will be critical to the ongoing success of the city centre, in particular harnessing the substantial benefits that will arise from the redevelopment of the Grade-II listed former Cole Brothers Store. The wider City Centre context that will have an impact on the management of the conservation area are the ambitions set out in the Priority Neighbourhood Frameworks and detailed accompanying Masterplans. These areas include Moorfoot, Castlegate and Wicker Riverside and informing and, where appropriate, aligning with these aspirations.
Sheffield City Centre Conservation Area Management Plans (Batch 1) Brief, SCC, December 2024
Kelham Island
The interactive map adjacent shows the current boundary of the Kelham Island Conservation Area and the listed buildings contained within it.
Kelham Island, the city's first industrial conservation area, has also been the focus of heritage-led regeneration activity with the creation of a new neighbourhood driven by the sensitive adaptive reuse of industrial heritage assets and high-quality new build. The Neepsend area also forms part of a wider strategic vision for comprehensive regeneration and delivery of further homes in partnership with Homes England as part of the Priority Neighbourhood Framework and emerging masterplan. The unique heritage of the area will be central to the successful delivery and placemaking and ongoing future management is key to preserving the character and appearance of the area.
Sheffield City Centre Conservation Area Management Plans (Batch 1) Brief, SCC, December 2024
Next Steps
We will use your feedback to shape and create the new CAAMPs, as we start to explore their significance and opportunities for enhancement.
The steps below give an indication of the process that will be undertaken in 2025.
- Early listening sessions with stakeholder, resident, and business groups.
- Evidence Gathering - site surveys and research.
- Production of Conservation Area appraisals, with recommendations.
- Public consultation.
- Formal decision-making within Sheffield City Council, dependent on recommendations.
- Production of Management plans, to include stakeholder and public consultation.
- Management Plan adoption.
