| Code Sheffield | |
|---|---|
 Artists impression of Code Sheffield | |
 Interactive map of Code Sheffield | |
| General information | |
| Status | Under construction |
| Type | Residential |
| Location | Wellington Street,Sheffield City Centre, England |
| Coordinates | 53°22′42″N1°28′30″W / 53.3782°N 1.4751°W /53.3782; -1.4751 |
| Construction started | March 2022 |
| Cost | £100 million (planned) |
| Height | |
| Roof | 117 m (384 ft) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 38 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Staniforth Architects |
| Developer | Code Students |
Code Sheffield is an under-construction skyscraper[a] located at the junction of Wellington Street and Rockingham Street inSheffield,South Yorkshire. Construction commenced in March 2022[1] as part of theHeart of the City 2 redevelopment of this area of the city centre. With an originally planned height of 117 metres (384 ft) once completed, Code Sheffield would have overtaken both theSt Paul's Tower as the tallest building in Sheffield andAltus House inLeeds as the tallest building inYorkshire.[1] However, due to rising costs the planned height of the building was reduced from 38 to 26 storeys.[2]
Code Sheffield occupies a plot of land between Wellington Street, Rockingham Street and Trafalgar Street[3] on the western side ofSheffield City Centre, directly oppositeVita Student Sheffield across Rockingham Street. This site was initially occupied at the Rockingham Street end byMount Tabor Chapel, aWesleyan Methodist place of worship constructed in 1837 for the ReverendRobert Aitken; the remainder of the site consisted of a smallsteelworks surrounded byterraced workers' housing.[4] The chapel was purchased by predecessors to theWesleyan Reform Union in 1853 and aSunday school was constructed on adjacent land.[4] Plans were created to improve the chapel in the 1940s;[4] however, these were interrupted by the outbreak ofWorld War II and the subsequent destruction of much of the city centre in theSheffield Blitz. Although the chapel building survived the Blitz, it did not remain in use as a religious building after the war and by 1948 the building was instead occupied by theMount Tabor Printing Works.[4]
The entire site, including the former chapel, Sunday school, steelworks and terraced housing, was demolished in 1962.[4] Replacement buildings on the site were in the form of low-rise commercial and light industrial properties. A three-storey building known asWellington House was constructed along the length of the Wellington Street frontage, containing a number of retail units which were last occupied by astair lift andmobility scootershowroom.[4] Atelephone exchange was constructed at the Trafalgar Street end of the site, although this was soon replaced by the much larger premises atTelephone House a short distance away to the east; this building was last occupied by the localhousing association offices.[4] The Rockingham Street end of the site was occupied by acar repair garage, which was constructed in 1968 and in later years specialised in the repair of vehicleradiators.[4]
The 1960s buildings on site all gradually fell into disuse as the primary retail activity in Sheffield city centre transferred toFargate andThe Moor from the 1980s onwards; the final property, the garage, was cleared of occupants by 2020. Demolition of all buildings and subsequent site clearance was carried out in early 2021 to make way for the construction of Code Sheffield.[4]
The first planning pre-application for Code Sheffield was submitted by developerCode Students in July 2019. The pre-application design consisted of twin towers, of 33 and 28 storeys, joined by a low-rise podium. This was subsequently amended in the full planning application submitted in October 2019, consisting of a single taller tower of 36 storeys adjoining two mid-rise sections of 17 and 12 storeys.[3] The design of the tower was subsequently increased again to 38 storeys, which was granted planning permission fromSheffield City Council.[5]
Originally, the central 38-storey tower was planned to reach a height of 117 metres (384 ft).[1] The entire project would have contained up to 1,370 studio apartments, providing student accommodation.[3] However, in early 2023 the plans for the building were scaled down due to rising costs. The height has been reduced from 38 to 26 storeys and the number of flats has fallen to 960.[2]
There will also be provision of ground-floor retail units along street frontages, along with an on-site private cinema, gymnasium, common rooms and a roof terrace.[3] The total construction cost is expected to be around £100 million (2022).[6]
Following the granting of planning permission for the project, construction was intended to commence in the spring of 2020; however, this was subsequently delayed indefinitely due to theCOVID-19 pandemic. Construction of Code Sheffield ultimately commenced in late March 2022.[1]
