Sheffield City Council has been advised to “get its act together” and take action to deal with the future of the Sevenstone retail scheme after failing to publicly reveal the result of its supposed “crunch” talks.
Deputy PM and Sheffield Hallam MP, Nick Clegg
Discussions have been held between chief executive John Mothersole and developer Hammerson and were meant to result in a decision about whether the developer would give a firm commitment or be dropped in favour of an alternative company.
The meeting was scheduled following news that Hammerson planned to start work on its Eastgate Chambers scheme in Leeds at the end of 2014. The development, which includes a “flagship” John Lewis store, is subject to obtaining detailed planning consent.
The city’s scheme has been on hold since 2009, despite £30 million being available in advance to help cover the costs.
Sheffield Hallam MP and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg commented recently that since the funds are available through Sheffield’s City Deal and that up to 1,000 new jobs are on the line.
“It’s about time that the council got its act together and ensured this investment is used sooner rather than later,” he said.
He pointed out that over the last several months there have been various ultimatums from councillors but that no start date has been set for the improvements. He went on to say that it wasn’t surprising that local people and businesses are losing confidence in the leadership at the Town Hall.
Mr. Clegg said inviting other developers to look at delivering on the Sevenstone project was a good idea.
Councillor Leigh Bramall, the Sheffield Council cabinet member for business, said, “We will be in a position to either move forward with Hammerson or seek an alternative development partner shortly.”
Previous Post
Reading Skyscraper Plans Scrapped
