Welcome to my blog, Rumbles Blog. The blog of probably the most knowledgable English Bulldog you will ever meet!
As a way of coming down after the general election this week I thought I would see what Sheffield Council has been and is planning to do for the city.
Well, it took a little persuasion for somebody down at the council offices to take me seriously, but after I had convinced them that I wasn’t like other dogs, I’ve been able to find out quite a lot actually. In fact over the last few years Sheffield Council have recognised the importance of continuing to invest in the city to attract investment and maintain a business friendly approach. Building vibrant business economy that means jobs and opportunities.
They committed to a series of investments and projects that have helped the city region’s infrastructure, sustainable energy, and looked to create public investment funds to lever private sector capital to assist development and inward investment (big words for an English Bulldog I know).
Some of the most noticeable current projects that have been carried out or are on their way include…
The City Deal
This project transfers power from national Government to the local council, meaning that more of the decisions on how money is spent are made locally. The City Deal has put Sheffield in charge of a ground breaking business led skills model including a £700m Sheffield City Region investment fund for strategic infrastructure investment, the power to create an efficient transport network connecting people with jobs with guaranteed funding for 10 years, and a sourcing roadmap in recognition of the city region’s advanced manufacturing and nuclear expertise.
Enterprise Zone
The Sheffield City Region Enterprise Zone comprises of a number of well-connected development areas along the M1 corridor, where a range of Enterprise Zone Incentives are available to encourage growth and investment by hi-tech firms. These areas have prioritised the development of modern manufacturing and technology-based enterprise, bringing advanced engineering industry to the city.
The Moor
The Moor is a pretty legendary retail area in Sheffield City Centre and has undergone significant changes over the last few years, with more development to follow. Sheffield City Council developed a high quality ‘public realm’ at the Moor Head in 2012 and built the £17m purpose built indoor market, which opened in 2013. In addition, Scottish Widows Investment Partnership, with their partner Ashcroft, have secured planning permission to redevelop a 55,000 sq ft retail block at the Junction with Furnival Gate.
New Retail Quarter
A somewhat plagued project so far, originally called Sevenstone, the New Sheffield Retail Quarter is a new retail centre for Sheffield City Centre now gathering pace in 2015 with new developers appointed to the project, designed to breath life in to the retail areas of the city centre in and around Barkers Pool/Cambridge Street, combining new and refurbished buildings and new streets.
Essential infrastructure: High Speed Rail
The Department for Transport (DfT) has announced the new High Speed Rail (HSR) network will serve the Sheffield City Region. The DfT confirmed that a station will be built in Sheffield as part of the second phase of HSR. By linking the Leeds City Region, the Sheffield City Region and the East Midlands, high speed rail will connect an area of 6.7 million people and journeys from Sheffield to London will reduce from 2hrs 7mins to 1hr 15 mins.
District Energy Network
The largest in the UK with 44km of pipeline spread across 2 networks. In addition to the development of Blackburn Meadows biomass power station there are plans for a new district heat network in the Lower Don Valley linked to the existing city centre network.
Bus Rapid Transit (BRT)
South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive (SYPTE) along with Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council and Sheffield City Council are introducing an enhanced travel system between Rotherham and Sheffield crossing the Sheffield City Region Enterprise Zone.
Midland Mainline Electrification
Electrifying the rail network from Sheffield to London at a cost of £500 million which could reduce journey times to as little as one hour and 45 minutes by 2019 (currently 2 hours 4 minutes) and reduced inner-city journey times to Derby, Nottingham and Leicester. Changes include improved freight access.
The Hope Valley Corridor & Northern Hub – A transformational scheme to deliver faster, more frequent and more reliable rail services right across the North of England at a cost of £530m. The Hope Valley Corridor improvements support connectivity between Sheffield and Manchester city regions.
So all in all there is lots going on in Sheffield. The council is investing lots and also encouraging investment from the private sector to help create even more jobs and opportunities across the region. All good.
So that makes Sheffield a great place to live. Whether you already live in the area or are looking to move to Sheffield, you will need somewhere nice to live. I’m happy with a kennel, but if you want something a little more substantial get in touch with Belvoir! Sheffield in order to find a great place to rent or a house to buy in Sheffield, they will be able to help and advise you no matter what your specific circumstances.
Don’t forget to make sure you follow us on Facebook or Twitter as I’ve got lots more help and advise coming out of my paws over the coming weeks, next week I’ll be looking at how to add value to your property!
