Green light for new city neighbourhood at Sheffield’s former Cannon Brewery

Sheffield’s former Cannon Brewery is set to become a creative new neighbourhood for the city after plans were given the green light.

Sheffield City Council’s Planning and Highways Committee tonight [23 July] voted unanimously to approve a masterplan for the massive brownfield plot. It’s being brought forward by social impact developers Capital&Centric, the team behind the restoration of Eyewitness Works in the Devonshire Quarter. 

The decision clears the way for the next chapter for the long-dormant brewery, where beer was brewed until the 90s. The outline plans include retention and repurposing of the most interesting buildings from the former brewery alongside contemporary new builds to deliver over 500 homes, work and cultural spaces.

The team is working with South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) and Sheffield City Council to make the blueprint a reality. The combined authority awarded a £11.67 million grant to kick-start the regeneration earlier this year.

Oliver Coppard, South Yorkshire’s Mayor, said:

“Our homes are our foundation; the bricks and mortar that give us security, that bring our family and communities together.

“And we need more of them in South Yorkshire. Cannon Brewery is an exciting opportunity to bring a huge site back to life that has stood derelict and underdeveloped for too long.

“Through collaboration with Capital&Centric this prime site can set a new high bar for regeneration across South Yorkshire.

“My ambition is not just for more and better homes, but for developments to attract investment, create spaces for new businesses and to further cement our well-deserved reputation as being a brilliant place to live.

“I believe the project at Cannon Brewery can help us to deliver that ambition.”

The landmark decision will enable targeted demolition and remediation to start in Neepsend this summer, prepping the site development. In the meantime, more detail of the look and the feel of the buildings and new public spaces will be worked up.

It comes as the newly-elected Labour government seeks to get Britain building, with a pledge to deliver 1.5 million homes over the next parliament.  

Cllr Tom Hunt, Leader of Sheffield City Council, said:

“The transformation of the former Cannon Brewery site is yet another exciting new development for Sheffield. We are working hard with our partners to increase the number of new homes and to regenerate parts of our city. The combination of new homes, new workplaces, and new public space will help to turn the site into a thriving new neighbourhood. I look forward to seeing work start on site.”

Cannon Brewery has been designed to grow the city in a considered way, with Capital&Centric boasting a track record of delivering quality neighbourhoods, with loads of green space and creative design. They’re aiming to attract some £200 million of investment into the city across several regeneration sites.

At Neepsend, a lush urban park and a new public square with shops, cafés and spaces for pop-up events is included.

Tom Wilmot, joint managing director of Capital&Centric, said:  

“Cannon Brewery has sat dormant for decades, but this decision fires the starting gun on a really exciting next phase. The need for new homes is a national imperative, but we want to ensure we help grow Sheffield’s neighbourhoods in a way that’s creative, considered and adds positively to the social fabric of the city.

“A massive thanks to both the combined authority and council who’ve seen our vision for Neepsend and share our ambition to make it happen.

“The Cannon Brewery neighbourhood will be a pretty special place, packed with personality, once we’re done with it. Our first step will be to carefully strip out the existing buildings, keeping all the parts that tell the story of the site’s past, and prepping the site for construction to start.”

Elsewhere, Capital&Centric is nearing the end of the build of Eyewitness Works in Sheffield’s Milton Street and its new build neighbour Brunswick. They’ve repurposed the historic former cutlery works into rental loft apartments and townhouses, alongside hidden gardens for residents. The space was the set for Channel 4’s Big Interiors Battle series in 2023.