As professional makers of shop signage Sheffield, Image Sign Studio thinks it’s a great shame that this vibrant and eclectic area of the city will be replaced with flats and other shops. The director of Coda Planning has assured Sheffield residents that the building’s design will respect the street’s character and allow occupancy to continue.
Image Sign Studio recently reported on the plans to demolish a number of shops on Devonshire Street in Sheffield, a popular area of the city centre with an eclectic mix of independent retail shops and quirky boutiques. As experts in the design and manufacture of shop signs Sheffield, they have been keeping a close eye on the developments of this story, and are sad to announce that the Sheffield Star have reported that despite nearly 20,000 objections, the shops will be knocked down.
Loss of Specific Businesses
A report to the planning committee says “Though occupiers of the existing retail units perfectly reflect the city’s aspirations for the Devonshire Quarter and undeniably have a part to play in creating an attractive, viable and varied city centre, the planning system does not exist to protect the private interests of one person against the activities of another. Provided a retail frontage is retained, the loss of the specific businesses is not a planning matter.”
Failed Petition for Planning Application
Coda Planning, agent for the developers Primesite Ltd insist that the development would ‘rejuvenate’ a block falling into ‘disrepair’ and improve the area. According to Sheffield Council, the online petition was the largest ever connected to a planning application since the Council began keeping logs, and raised a huge 18,337 signatures. Unfortunately, planners say that according to the law, only views based on ‘material planning considerations’ can be given weight, meaning that the buildings will be destroyed and replaced regardless of the signatures received in opposition.
Public Outcry
According to the newspaper, the specialist shops on Devonshire Street will be replaced with flats and other shops, which has caused massive public outcry in opposition to the plans. Objectors to the demolition say that the impact on the area means that the street will become ‘like every single high street in the country’ and that it would be ‘utter madness to demolish one of the truly individual parts of Sheffield.’
