UoS | Department of Engineering | Proposed

[Steel City Suburb]

The university held an event yesterday for this development, did anyone attend?

[Stab.]

Originally Posted by Steel City Suburb

The university held an event yesterday for this development, did anyone attend?

I did'nt but was told that it was pretty much the same as the last one.
If anyone is interested there is another event/showing of the proposals at the Quaker Meeting House tomorrow.

[hella good]

Not the same development but we don't really have a thread for this

[Mr Brightside]

The app has gone in for this, it looks superb in the renders.Which are on the design and access statement on the bottom.

http://publicaccess.sheffield.gov.uk...=MAI4O1NYFY000

[larven]

Very cool, the facade is a terrific nod to the city's steel industry. Like it!

[Steel City Suburb]

Nice!

[ThomasB443]

This must be approved! Might be too early to say but will be one of the best buildings in Sheffield if not the best in my opinion

[Master_P]

Bound to be rejected on the basis of (in order of likely importance to planning)

1. There is no red brick involved in the proposal
2. It involves knocking down an old building

[hella good]

It really does look great! Fingers crossed on this one, It is a shame about the older buildings but at the end of the day you cant always preserve something if it isn't going to be fit for purpose.

[Mr Brightside]

Originally Posted by hella good

Not the same development but we don't really have a thread for this

What's going on with this, any progress? I hope im not pestering Andrew C.

[Bladerunner]

Just don't ask for any pics of the markets....

[Mr Brightside]

Originally Posted by Bladerunner

Just don't ask for any pics of the markets....

[AndrewC]

Originally Posted by Mr Brightside

What's going on with this, any progress? I hope im not pestering Andrew C.

I thought we weren't going to continue arguing? I haven't pushed the matter for the last two weeks - I thought you were the better man to be revisiting old petty arguments?

[hjl_shef]

What's going on with this, any progress?

To answer your question, they have been doing the groundworks, specifically piling the area. It didn't look like they'd poured a foundation pad yet last time I walked past, but I couldn't see the piling rig yesterday, so I guess they are probably putting some rebar down or something.

[Mr Brightside]

Originally Posted by AndrewC

I thought we weren't going to continue arguing? I haven't pushed the matter for the last two weeks - I thought you were the better man to be revisiting old petty arguments?

Yeah I know mate just having a bit of a joke I apologise.

[robhundall]

http://www.sheffieldtelegraph.co.uk/...s-up-1-5061984

University of Sheffield challenge as Jessop debate hots up

Published on Thursday 25 October 2012 11:16

THE University of Sheffield faces a stiff test over its controversial ambitions to demolish an Edwardian wing of the old Jessop Hospital to make way for an £80m engineering complex.

It has to demonstrate that there are “wholly exceptional” reasons for loss of the listed building, says the Government-backed conservation agency, English Heritage.

A decision on the scheme is due to be made by the council in December, and already English Heritage has made clear the challenge facing the university.

In a letter to the council, it says: “While English Heritage is sympathetic to the University of Sheffield’s aspirations to become a leading engineering faculty, (the) authority must be satisfied that a fully justified case, setting out substantial public benefits, has been made before granting any approval for this scheme.”

Opinions about the university’s proposals for a “landmark” building to replace part of the old maternity hospital are being submitted to the council.

The university says the new engineering complex is vital to its strategy of accommodating more students in state-of-the-art facilities to help enhance an international reputation for engineering.

Critics say Sheffield cannot afford to lose more of its historic buildings, and the university should look for a location elsewhere.

English Heritage says Government policy states that “great weight should be given to the conservation of heritage assets”. At the same time, it accepts the university has explained the “clear public benefits” from the continued development of engineering. These need to be “carefully balanced against the substantial harm to the significance of the Jessop Hospital that would result from this demolition”.

English Heritage is advising the council that unless it is “satisfied that the case set out by the applicants delivers substantial public benefits that outweigh the harm to the significance of the Jessop Hospital which would result from the demolition of the Edwardian wing, this application should be refused on the grounds of non-compliance with the requirements of the National Planning Policy Framework”.

Comments made online to the council include one from Dr Tony Crook, a former Pro Vice Chancellor, who led the project to redevelop the Jessop site and is a Fellow of the Royal Town Planning Institute. He says the university has already restored the hospital’s original Victorian building for the Department of Music, conserving “what is important in terms of architecture and memory”.

Conserving the Edwardian building would limit the floorspace and “the ambitions for the engineering at the university which is intimately related to Sheffield’s economic future”.

Dr Crook adds that “it is in the public interest for the university to invest in engineering in order to secure that part of Sheffield’s future that depends on advanced manufacturing, in terms new research that advances innovation and improves productivity and in terms of the education of high quality graduates and postgraduates who stay on and work in the city”.

However, one critic says: “Sheffield has very few fine Edwardian buildings and the city really cannot afford to loose another piece of its history. If demolition is allowed, there is a very real risk that, in time, a whole era of architectural history will be missing from the cityscape.”

In addition, “the proposed building is very futuristic in appearance, yet the location is the exact opposite. It’s closest neighbour is the Victorian wing of the Jessop’s Hospital, which, ironically, has been restored by the university with great care, whilst directly opposite sits the former St George’s church, another fine Victorian construction. Although investment by the university is to be welcomed, this application must be rejected.”

[robhundall]

Have the university really ****** up their redevelopment of this whole site?

They're complaining that if they have to incorporate the Edwardian block they will limit floorspace, but the Y shaped building next to Upper Hanover Street is really wasteful on floorspace. Even the design for the Engineering department doesn't go right up to Leavygreave Road so wastes floorspace itself.

The trouble for many of us Sheffielders born in Jessops is that we have an emotional attachment to the Edwardian block even if it wasn't the building we were actually born in, and can't remember it.

There's so much brownfield land in Sheffield it's crazy that we have to demolish well-liked listed buildings.

Is the engineering building going to have to go up some more floors rather than out?

[snup]

What about a trade-off between the university and the council?

In return for the uni retaining the Jessop's building the council will help them get their hands on the land across the road along Brook Hill. Clearly that plot on the corner of the roundabout in between Netherthorpe Rd, Brook Hill and St George's Close (currently occupied by those horrible flats) would be a most prominent location for what can become a very prominent building for Sheffield. They could even increase the scale of the current proposal on that plot.

The council should embrace the university's plans and instead of knocking it back in the early stages help them secure the space they require on, or next to, the current campus and get the wheels in motion to make this happen.

Apart from the educational and economic importance of the universities truth is that, in the foreseeable future, I see our universities being the only investors that can bring something of architectural merit to the city on a scale that can impress. The last great proposal came from SHU on Arundel Gate but that seems dead in the water. As for the design of this new engineering building, bring it on, finally a proposal that has the potential to turn heads. In fact, we should encourage the university to turn it up a notch and really go for an architectural knock-out, surely Sheffield, you're not going to mess this one up will you?

In fact that entire section along Brook Hill in between the roundabout and Beet St should be demolished rather sooner than later.

[hippietrailer]

Does anybody know what procurement route this building is going through?? If Uni have employed a design team they should have alternatives for when this sort of situation arises. Before they even started they should have known it would get rejected, The National trust and English heritage would happily guillotine anybody who even abrades a brick on an old building. I personally hate how strict the building preservation orders are but unfortunately we still have to play by them.

[soupçon]

Originally Posted by snup

What about a trade-off between the university and the council?

In return for the uni retaining the Jessop's building the council will help them get their hands on the land across the road along Brook Hill. Clearly that plot on the corner of the roundabout in between Netherthorpe Rd, Brook Hill and St George's Close (currently occupied by those horrible flats) would be a most prominent location for what can become a very prominent building for Sheffield. They could even increase the scale of the current proposal on that plot.

The council should embrace the university's plans and instead of knocking it back in the early stages help them secure the space they require on, or next to, the current campus and get the wheels in motion to make this happen.

Apart from the educational and economic importance of the universities truth is that, in the foreseeable future, I see our universities being the only investors that can bring something of architectural merit to the city on a scale that can impress. The last great proposal came from SHU on Arundel Gate but that seems dead in the water. As for the design of this new engineering building, bring it on, finally a proposal that has the potential to turn heads. In fact, we should encourage the university to turn it up a notch and really go for an architectural knock-out, surely Sheffield, you're not going to mess this one up will you?

In fact that entire section along Brook Hill in between the roundabout and Beet St should be demolished rather sooner than later.

Nonsense. That's people's homes you're demolishing for no apparent reason. Why on earth would/should the city council support that?

If there isn't enough room on the Jessops plot without demolishing the Edwardian building then they could find another brownfield site. There's still some land between Newcastle Street and Rockingham that's awaiting redevelopment isn't there? Height shouldn't be a problem from a planning view there either (I'm presuming being adjacent to St. George's Church brings restrictions).