Clean-up drive for city 'gateway'

The Penistone Road Gateway Action Plan involves planting trees and shrubs, installing pieces of public art, making the road more accessible for pedestrians and drawing up planning guidelines to co-ordinate new developments.

It is being devised to work in conjunction with the Penistone Road "smart route" which will tackle congestion on the road itself through putting in bus lanes and new traffic signal technology.

A business case for Government funding for the smart route is currently being prepared by Sheffield Council and will be submitted later this year.

A spokeswoman for the council's city development section, Lucia Lorente-Arnau, said: "Penistone Road A61 is one of the principle road entrances to the city and currently presents a generally poor quality and some unattractive series of buildings and sites, including a number that are vacant and derelict.

"The Penistone Road Gateway Action Plan is a landscape and townscape framework for significant improvements to the environmental quality of the corridor.

"It proposes a robust urban design and public realm and landscape strategy for Penistone Road, to encourage and guide private development as well as public investment.

"The proposed landscape will capitalise on the award-winning work that has been undertaken in the last phase of the inner relief road and maximise the potential of the rivers Don and Loxley for amenity, recreation and investment purposes.

"It aims to improve the image and setting for investment of the A61 corridor as a key gateway into the city and the upper Don Valley as a much more coherent place to help improve its economic performance, create more jobs, support the growth of sustainable and healthy communities and help promote Sheffield as a destination."

A public consultation has already taken place on a draft version of the action plan, when 94 per cent of respondents said the appearance of Penistone Road was "important or very important for the people living and working in the area".

Eighty-eight per cent of respondents also agreed that the Penistone Road "corridor" was important or very important for the economy of Sheffield Council, and is important or very important for local businesses.

It is hoped that the improvements will benefit existing businesses and leisure facilities such as Sheffield Wednesday football club, Hillsborough Park and the Owlerton casino and greyhound track.

In addition, improvements to Penistone Road would also prove beneficial if England and Sheffield's bid to host the 2018 World Cup is successful.

Ms Lorente-Arnau added: "In transport terms, the A61 Penistone Road is the second main arterial route into the city after the Parkway and a key gateway to the city.

"Recent experience in Sheffield has powerfully demonstrated the greater impact of transport improvements combined with environmental enhancements which transform impressions and attractiveness of the adjoining area.

"Examples include Station Square, the inner relief road north and the Don Valley link road."

The council currently has no "significant" funds for the scheme, but is exploring various sources, such as taking 250,000 from the smart route project and 10,000 for public art from a European funding pot.

If the economic climate improves, there may also be opportunities to bid for additional public funding from national Lottery or European sources.