11 photos showing how different Sheffield could look had grand plans happened, including Sevenstone mall

By Robert Cumber

Published 5th May 2024, 05:00 BST

Sheffield city centre’s huge regeneration is beginning to bear fruit, with a new hotel, a food hall and an independent shopping destination all opening soon.

But these photos show what could have been, both within the city centre and beyond, had grand plans drawn up for development in Sheffield over the years actually materialised.

From a futuristic monorail shuttling passengers above The Moor, to indoor ski slopes and a new shopping centre, these proposals for major projects all eventually fell by the wayside.

Are there any you wish had materialised, or is Sheffield better off without them?

These are just some of the grand plans for major new developments in Sheffield which have been abandoned over the years

1. MixCollage-03-May-2024-04-34-PM-1614.jpg

These are just some of the grand plans for major new developments in Sheffield which have been abandoned over the years Photo: Various

A four-star hotel with 200 bedrooms was planned opposite Sheffield station, on the site of Sheffield Hallam University's old Nelson Mandela Building, on Pond Street. A planning application for the development, which would also have included offices, restaurants and cafes, along with a basement car park, actually got the green light back in 2007 but construction never started.

2. Four-star hotel opposite Sheffield station

A four-star hotel with 200 bedrooms was planned opposite Sheffield station, on the site of Sheffield Hallam University's old Nelson Mandela Building, on Pond Street. A planning application for the development, which would also have included offices, restaurants and cafes, along with a basement car park, actually got the green light back in 2007 but construction never started. Photo: CTP St. James/Aedas Architects Ltd

This building would have become Sheffield's tallest - in this case rising to 37 storeys on Sheaf Street, where it would have soared above visitors arriving at Sheffield station - had it ever been constructed. Sheffield Tower, as it was called to keep things simple, was proposed by Sheffield Hallam University in 2018 and would have featured a five-star hotel, 200 flats, restaurants and a conference hall. But the university said in 2020 that it had tested the market and the proposed tower had not proved viable in the way it envisaged.

3. Sheffield Tower

This building would have become Sheffield's tallest - in this case rising to 37 storeys on Sheaf Street, where it would have soared above visitors arriving at Sheffield station - had it ever been constructed. Sheffield Tower, as it was called to keep things simple, was proposed by Sheffield Hallam University in 2018 and would have featured a five-star hotel, 200 flats, restaurants and a conference hall. But the university said in 2020 that it had tested the market and the proposed tower had not proved viable in the way it envisaged. Photo: Sheffield Hallam University

Back in the 1970s, a monorail system was proposed for Sheffield city centre. The Minitram, as it was dubbed, would have been a driverless network with small cars each carrying around 15 passengers. It would have linked up the city's shopping districts, operating across two-and-a-half kilometres of track with nine stations. Thousands went to look at the blueprints in a public exhibition at Cole Brothers, which is now John Lewis – but the scheme was abandoned in 1975.

4. Monorail

Back in the 1970s, a monorail system was proposed for Sheffield city centre. The Minitram, as it was dubbed, would have been a driverless network with small cars each carrying around 15 passengers. It would have linked up the city's shopping districts, operating across two-and-a-half kilometres of track with nine stations. Thousands went to look at the blueprints in a public exhibition at Cole Brothers, which is now John Lewis – but the scheme was abandoned in 1975. Photo: Sheffield Newspapers Limited