Co-living scheme to replace mid-century former Primark at prominent city-centre corner plot
Hodder & Partners has been given the green light for plans to demolish a former Primark in Sheffield city centre and replace it with a 40-storey residential tower.
The King’s Tower scheme will replace the existing six-storey building at 51-57 High Street with 428 co-living studio apartments.
Located at a prominent corner plot between the city centre’s two main thoroughfares and on relatively high land, it will be highly visible from most locations in the city.
The proposals, designed for developers CJS7 Ltd and SFGE Properties, will also include part of the neighbouring building at 59-75 High Street up to the second floor, which will become a gym, co-working space and 20 further studio flats.
The plans replace a consent granted in 2020 for a similar 39-storey tower containing 206 apartments, offices and retail space, which has now lapsed.
Despite the prominence of the proposed building, the former consent received just five objections. The new plans have also not seen a major backlash, receiving seven objections, with concerns focused on the height of the building and fears it will “dwarf” its mostly mid-rise neighbours.
Sheffield planning officers said the scheme would assist the council’s local plan for a high-density mixed-use area in the Castlegate Quarter.
The officers also said the proposals were a direct response to the local plan’s encouragement of Castlegate’s transformation through landmark developments and increased building height.
The tower would consist of a curved facade facing Castle Square with a concrete grid form and floor to ceiling windows, above a recessed commercial unit and double-height residential lobby on the ground floor.
Hodder & Partners said in planning documents that the existing mid-20th century Primark building should not be retained because of its “poor quality design and lack of visual interest”.
The project team includes structural engineer Clancy Consulting, planning consultant Crowley Associates, landscape architect Weddle, heritage consultant Stephen Levrant Heritage Architecture, fire consultant BB7 and right of light consultant Avison Young.
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