Sheffield’s ‘at risk’ Beehive Works could be brought back to life but owners need millions
An iconic listed building that has been on Historic England’s “at risk register” since 2018 could be brought back into use as a mixed-use commercial hub in Sheffield – but it would cost almost £4million, a report suggests.
Sheffield City Council’s transport, regeneration and climate policy committee will next week (June 12) discuss the update on ongoing regeneration schemes within the Devonshire Quarter, as well as the proposal of the owners of the Beehive Works building on Milton Street.
A report published ahead of the said meeting showed that the owners of the grade II*-listed Beehive Works had approached the council and Historic England to discuss proposals to “safeguard the building, celebrate it and ideally bring all of it back into commercial use”.
Beehive Works (made up of seven or eight separate blocks and set around two central courtyards) is in the Milton St neighbourhood, which is emerging as a new residential area within the wider Devonshire Quarter.
Now, the owners of the building want to restore the entire building for a range of commercial purposes including offices, food and beverage, retail, makers’ workshops and potentially museum/arts/venue space.
The report said: “The owners, who inherited the building, estimate the full cost of the project to be £3.9m, with a funding gap of £2.6m.
“They hope to secure support from Historic England by way of a heritage repair grant for £0.4m, which would go towards safeguarding the future of the four-storey Egerton St block, the most vulnerable part of the Works.
“That would reduce the overall funding gap to £2.2m.”
At the moment, the document added, the owners were seeking strategic support from the council for their proposals and reassurance that the project sits comfortably with the recently adopted heritage strategy and emerging growth plan for the city, and that it would be a strong candidate for relevant funding streams.
Beehive Works is an allocated housing site within the Sheffield Plan, for an estimated 46 units, but the document said the building was in the Flexible Use Zone, so it could be used for commercial purposes too.
As one of only two grade II*-listed buildings of its kind in the city, Beehive Works on Milton St occupies a significant place in Sheffield’s industrial history, the report added.
Beehive Works was originally built as a cutlery factory in the late 1850s, and while some of the buildings are still in use, much of the property is vacant and in a poor state of repair.
The transport, regeneration and policy committee will discuss this proposal at 2pm next Wednesday (June 12) at Sheffield Town Hall.