New design for city park after 'remarkable' dig

A major city centre regeneration project will undergo a redesign due to a wealth of archaeological finds, planners said.

The Castlegate area of Sheffield is set to become a public park with a 500-person event space, and the River Sheaf uncovered for the first time in more than 100 years.

The scheme was set to be finished by early 2026, but completion has now been delayed until the end of the year.

Ben Miskell, chair of regeneration at Sheffield City Council, said: "We know how much the history of this site means to people. We want to see this project bring fascinating and historically important results."

A redesign, which will be subject to further planning permission, must replace the current plan to ensure that remains are preserved in the long-term, the council said.

Discoveries on the site have included Sheffield Castle's moat, 200-year-old slaughterhouses, drawbridge supports, civil war stakes and steelmaking furnaces.

Previously unknown stone structures from about 1270 and a likely-medieval 12.5m (41ft) still containing water have also been uncovered at the site.

Once complete, the park will have remains of the 12th-Century Sheffield Castle on display for the first time since it was demolished in the 1600s.

"The regeneration project has always been about bringing some of that history to life while [people use] the brand new city centre park," Miskell said.

Ashley Tuck, lead archaeologist at Wessex Archaeology which has been carrying out the dig, said he was "excited" the remains would be on show.

"Uncovering the remains of this remarkable site has been an honour," he said.

The project was originally set to cost £15.7m, with Levelling Up funding being used to foot the bill.

The high cost of uncovering the river, specialist works and inflation took the budget to £21m, with extra funding coming from South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority.

The redesign as a result of the extended archaeology will increase costs by a further £5m, which the council will "now look to secure funding to cover", it said.

The River Sheaf, which gave Sheffield its name, will be visible for the first time in the centre since the Victorian era, with a "Sheaf Field" area designed in the park nearby.

The design review will be developed by the council, heritage specialist consultants, South Yorkshire Archaeology Service, Historic England and Friends of Sheffield Castle.

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