Connecting Sheffield: Castle Street

Drawing of Sheffield's Old Town Hall. A cyclist, a bus and a person using a wheelchair and 'Castle Street' are in front.

Background

Castlegate is the birthplace of our city, the site of the former Sheffield Castle that stood at the meeting point of the Rivers Sheaf and Don. While the area has struggled in more recent times, it remains a popular shopping area and gateway to the city centre. Now, a series of projects are breathing new life into the area and Castlegate is central to Sheffield’s plans for a greener, more vibrant city centre.

Regenerating Castlegate

Regeneration plans will bring new life to the area and make Castlegate a more welcoming place for the people who live and work there, for the people who use the area for shopping and leisure and for those who travel into and through the area by bus, taxi, on foot or by cycle.

We are transforming the former site of the Castle Market by creating a new park. Not only will the park provide much-needed green space, but it will also reveal Sheffield castle’s remains for the first time since it was demolished in the 1600s, bringing together Sheffield’s past and future in one place.

The River Sheaf is being opened up, so people can enjoy a river that’s been hidden underground for more than 100 years. The park will also include an events space for community activities and performances, along with public art and displays that share the story of Castlegate.

We are also reconnecting Castlegate to the city centre and Victoria Quays:

  1. We have already introduced new greenery, landscaped pavements and cycle routes to create the River Sheaf Walk to make the area between Castlegate and Victoria Quays an attractive, safe place for people to walk through, and to get between the many hotels in the area and the city centre.
  2. We have created an attractive area in Castlegate by the River Don where outdoor markets can be held, such as the Pollen Market.
  3. Work is underway to create a convenient, safe and attractive pedestrian and cycle route between Castle Square and Victoria Quays/The Wicker, running through the new Castle site park.

Connecting Sheffield: Castle Street

The next step in our plans is to improve how people move around the area, with a focus on Castle Street, Waingate and Haymarket, through our Connecting Sheffield: Castle Street project.

Castle Street plays an important role in connecting Bank Street and the wider city centre to Castlegate. The planned improvements include dedicated spaces for people walking, wheeling and cycling, away from buses and general traffic, as well as changes to the junction of Castle Street, Waingate and Haymarket to provide new pedestrian crossings and service access to the park.

The improvements will not only provide better access for people shopping in the area, they will also help to fill a gap in the city centre cycle network. This will make it easier for people to travel into and across the city by cycle. Connecting Sheffield: Castle Street will help to create a more attractive environment that feels safer and makes it easier for people to get around in the way that they choose.

We know from our existing Grey to Green projects, and previous work in the Peace Gardens, that streets which are walking, wheeling and cycling friendly are more prosperous - and people tend to stay longer in places that are more attractive. We want to bring these benefits to more places in the city centre.

What is planned?

Public transport improvements

The Castlegate area of the city centre is hugely important for the bus network. As bus passengers are pedestrians for part of their journey, we plan to introduce safer crossing points for bus passengers and relocate some bus stops.

We’ll relocate the existing bus stop on Castle Street, closest to the junction with Angel Street, to Snig Hill. We’ll move the other existing bus stop on Castle Street around a metre. Both these changes will give the space we’ll need on Castle Street for the cycle route and improved footways and for everyone who needs to use the street to get around. Fewer buses will stop on Castle Street.

We will move the two existing bus stops on Haymarket slightly to make space for a third bus stop to be added outside B&M, replacing the bus stop on Waingate which is located where the proposed entrance to the new park will be.

An artist's impression of a city centre street. People are walking on the footway, using the red brick cycle route and waiting at traffic lights to cross the road. A bus can be seen in the distance and blue sky is overhead.Artist's impression of Castle Street with two-way cycle route and signal controlled pedestrian crossing. Image created by Rider Levett Bucknall (RLB)

Cycling improvements

We are proposing a new two-way cycle route along Castle Street, separated from traffic and pedestrians to make cycling easier and safer. The new route would connect into both existing and planned cycle routes across the city, including the existing route at Snig Hill and Angel Street and a planned cycle route as part of the Connecting Sheffield: Darnall - Attercliffe - City Centre project.

A new cycle route along Exchange Street will be delivered separately as part of a future project and will link to the cycle route we are installing on Castle Street. In the meantime, we will paint a cycle route on Exchange Street to provide a visible and usable link to the other parts of the wider cycle route network.

We will add cycle parking in the new Castle site park to make it easier to visit the area by cycle.

An artist's impression of a city centre street with people walking on the footways and using a red bricked cycle route. A signal controlled crossing can be seen in the background and blue sky is overhead. Artist's impression of the two-way cycle route on Exchange Street and the signal-controlled crossing across Haymarket. Image created by RLB

Safety, walking and wheeling improvements

We’ll add new pedestrian crossings at each arm of the junction of Castle Street, Haymarket and Waingate to make it easier and safer for people to cross this busy junction and walk to and from the new park.

The crossings will be signal controlled and the crossing from Castle Street over Haymarket will have a pedestrian crossing with a separate cycle crossing to make walking, wheeling and cycling easier and safer. Pedestrians and cyclists will be given priority over vehicles.

We will improve the footways on Castle Street using the same high quality materials we’ve used elsewhere in the City Centre, which will make the area more attractive.

Changes to taxi ranks

To make Castle Street easier and more pleasant for pedestrians to use, we’ll move the taxi rank from Castle Street to Haymarket where the rank will be more convenient for shoppers. General traffic isn’t allowed along Castle Street but, by moving the taxi rank, we can further reduce traffic and make Castle Street safer to navigate for pedestrians. We will provide signage to let taxi users know the new location, as well as to direct people to the existing taxi rank on Angel Street.

Environmental considerations

To create space for the cycle route, we will need to remove the two trees on Castle Street. One is a mature Alder tree, the other is a Birch sapling.

As part of the design process, we have consulted with Sheffield Street Tree Partnership and have considered alternatives to removing the trees such as creating a "shared use" pavement where people using cycles and people walking and wheeling would share the same space for a short length of the route. Given the expected volume of pedestrian and cycle traffic, which will increase further with completion of Castlegate park and future regeneration works, we decided this is not a suitable alternative. The Castle Park site will increase overall tree cover in the area by providing more than 60 new trees in the wider Castle Street area.

To compensate for the removal of these two trees, we will plant four new Pin Oak trees between the Howard Hotel and Sheffield Station on Pond Street.

Further green space will be added in the future along Exchange Street as part of developer-led improvements, which are outside the scope of this project.

A large alder tree on a city centre street. Shops are in the background, and a red cycle route is painted on the road in front of the tree. Alder tree on Castle Street

A birch tree on a city centre street. Shops are in the background, with a red cycle route painted on the road in front of the tree. A blue road sign with a white arrow pointing left is mounted on a pole to the right of the tree, with a sign that reads 'Except cycles'.Birch tree on Castle Street

A map showing the proposed location for the new street trees. A red box covers an existing planter, between Pond Street and Sheaf Street. The Howard pub is on the western side of the planter and Sheffield Railway Station is on the Eastern side, over the ring road. The map shows the proposed location for the four new highway trees between
Pond Street and Sheaf Street

The maps below show the proposals in detail. You can also download pdfs from the document library on the right of this page which will allow you to zoom in.

A map showing the proposals for Connecting Sheffield: Castle Street. We'll add three new pedestrian crossings, improve the experience for bus passengers, introduce a cycle route that connects to others in the city centre and move the taxi rank nearer the shops. Map showing the proposals for Castle Street, Haymarket and Exchange Street

This map shows how Castle Street fits into the local, city centre cycle network. The east to west route will connect Grey to Green Castlegate to Bank Street and onwards to the University of Sheffield, Hospitals and Fargate. Existing connections nearby include the Upper Don Trail, Five Weirs Walk and National Cycle Network routes 627 and 6.This map shows how Castle Street fits into the local, city centre cycle network. The east to west route will connect Grey to Green Castlegate to Bank Street and onwards to the University of Sheffield, Hospitals and Fargate. Existing connections nearby include the Upper Don Trail, Five Weirs Walk and National Cycle Network routes 627 and 6.


A city centre street with a red brick protected cycle route. there are trees and buildings on either side of the road, planting between the carriageway and the cycle route and a red pillar box stands to the right. A bus can be seen in the distance and blue sky is overhead.
Nearby Angel Street which shows the standard of materials we will upgrade Castle Street to


Have your say on the proposals

We are holding a public consultation on these proposals. The consultation opened at 9am on Monday 13 October 2025 and will close at 11:59pm on Sunday 9 November 2025.

We are hosting a drop-in event on Thursday 23 October, 1pm to 6.30pm, at Raccoon Studios, 38 Haymarket, Sheffield, S1 2AX, where you can meet the project team and ask questions about the proposals.

Let us know your views by completing the survey on our website, or by getting in touch via email, telephone or freepost. Your feedback will help us to finalise our proposals.

If you would like information in an alternative format, please contact us by Freephone or email.

We will advertise the Traffic Regulation Orders (TROs) required for the project between Thursday 16 October and Thursday 13 November. A Traffic Regulation Order is a legal document which lets councils change the way roads are used.

When we advertise the TROs, you will have the opportunity to formally comment on them on our website here: https://hub.appyway.com/engagement, or on the Council’s Traffic Orders page here: https://www.sheffield.gov.uk/home/roads-pavements/traffic-orders

You should send any observations, either supporting or objecting to the proposed Order, including the grounds for any objection, through the website detailed above or by email to orders@sheffield.gov.uk

Next steps

Following the consultation, we will review all the feedback we receive through all channels before we go any further with the plans.

We will share feedback relating to the removal of two street trees and the proposed replacement plan with the Street Tree Partnership.

We expect to make a decision at the December Transport, Climate and Regeneration Committee and will share further updates on this page.

Contact us

If you have any questions, you can contact the project team through any of the following channels. These channels are monitored 9am-5pm, Monday to Friday outside of Bank Holidays:

Connecting Sheffield: Castle Street is being delivered by Sheffield City Council and is part-funded by South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority.

Background

Castlegate is the birthplace of our city, the site of the former Sheffield Castle that stood at the meeting point of the Rivers Sheaf and Don. While the area has struggled in more recent times, it remains a popular shopping area and gateway to the city centre. Now, a series of projects are breathing new life into the area and Castlegate is central to Sheffield’s plans for a greener, more vibrant city centre.

Regenerating Castlegate

Regeneration plans will bring new life to the area and make Castlegate a more welcoming place for the people who live and work there, for the people who use the area for shopping and leisure and for those who travel into and through the area by bus, taxi, on foot or by cycle.

We are transforming the former site of the Castle Market by creating a new park. Not only will the park provide much-needed green space, but it will also reveal Sheffield castle’s remains for the first time since it was demolished in the 1600s, bringing together Sheffield’s past and future in one place.

The River Sheaf is being opened up, so people can enjoy a river that’s been hidden underground for more than 100 years. The park will also include an events space for community activities and performances, along with public art and displays that share the story of Castlegate.

We are also reconnecting Castlegate to the city centre and Victoria Quays:

  1. We have already introduced new greenery, landscaped pavements and cycle routes to create the River Sheaf Walk to make the area between Castlegate and Victoria Quays an attractive, safe place for people to walk through, and to get between the many hotels in the area and the city centre.
  2. We have created an attractive area in Castlegate by the River Don where outdoor markets can be held, such as the Pollen Market.
  3. Work is underway to create a convenient, safe and attractive pedestrian and cycle route between Castle Square and Victoria Quays/The Wicker, running through the new Castle site park.

Connecting Sheffield: Castle Street

The next step in our plans is to improve how people move around the area, with a focus on Castle Street, Waingate and Haymarket, through our Connecting Sheffield: Castle Street project.

Castle Street plays an important role in connecting Bank Street and the wider city centre to Castlegate. The planned improvements include dedicated spaces for people walking, wheeling and cycling, away from buses and general traffic, as well as changes to the junction of Castle Street, Waingate and Haymarket to provide new pedestrian crossings and service access to the park.

The improvements will not only provide better access for people shopping in the area, they will also help to fill a gap in the city centre cycle network. This will make it easier for people to travel into and across the city by cycle. Connecting Sheffield: Castle Street will help to create a more attractive environment that feels safer and makes it easier for people to get around in the way that they choose.

We know from our existing Grey to Green projects, and previous work in the Peace Gardens, that streets which are walking, wheeling and cycling friendly are more prosperous - and people tend to stay longer in places that are more attractive. We want to bring these benefits to more places in the city centre.

What is planned?

Public transport improvements

The Castlegate area of the city centre is hugely important for the bus network. As bus passengers are pedestrians for part of their journey, we plan to introduce safer crossing points for bus passengers and relocate some bus stops.

We’ll relocate the existing bus stop on Castle Street, closest to the junction with Angel Street, to Snig Hill. We’ll move the other existing bus stop on Castle Street around a metre. Both these changes will give the space we’ll need on Castle Street for the cycle route and improved footways and for everyone who needs to use the street to get around. Fewer buses will stop on Castle Street.

We will move the two existing bus stops on Haymarket slightly to make space for a third bus stop to be added outside B&M, replacing the bus stop on Waingate which is located where the proposed entrance to the new park will be.

An artist's impression of a city centre street. People are walking on the footway, using the red brick cycle route and waiting at traffic lights to cross the road. A bus can be seen in the distance and blue sky is overhead.Artist's impression of Castle Street with two-way cycle route and signal controlled pedestrian crossing. Image created by Rider Levett Bucknall (RLB)

Cycling improvements

We are proposing a new two-way cycle route along Castle Street, separated from traffic and pedestrians to make cycling easier and safer. The new route would connect into both existing and planned cycle routes across the city, including the existing route at Snig Hill and Angel Street and a planned cycle route as part of the Connecting Sheffield: Darnall - Attercliffe - City Centre project.

A new cycle route along Exchange Street will be delivered separately as part of a future project and will link to the cycle route we are installing on Castle Street. In the meantime, we will paint a cycle route on Exchange Street to provide a visible and usable link to the other parts of the wider cycle route network.

We will add cycle parking in the new Castle site park to make it easier to visit the area by cycle.

An artist's impression of a city centre street with people walking on the footways and using a red bricked cycle route. A signal controlled crossing can be seen in the background and blue sky is overhead. Artist's impression of the two-way cycle route on Exchange Street and the signal-controlled crossing across Haymarket. Image created by RLB

Safety, walking and wheeling improvements

We’ll add new pedestrian crossings at each arm of the junction of Castle Street, Haymarket and Waingate to make it easier and safer for people to cross this busy junction and walk to and from the new park.

The crossings will be signal controlled and the crossing from Castle Street over Haymarket will have a pedestrian crossing with a separate cycle crossing to make walking, wheeling and cycling easier and safer. Pedestrians and cyclists will be given priority over vehicles.

We will improve the footways on Castle Street using the same high quality materials we’ve used elsewhere in the City Centre, which will make the area more attractive.

Changes to taxi ranks

To make Castle Street easier and more pleasant for pedestrians to use, we’ll move the taxi rank from Castle Street to Haymarket where the rank will be more convenient for shoppers. General traffic isn’t allowed along Castle Street but, by moving the taxi rank, we can further reduce traffic and make Castle Street safer to navigate for pedestrians. We will provide signage to let taxi users know the new location, as well as to direct people to the existing taxi rank on Angel Street.

Environmental considerations

To create space for the cycle route, we will need to remove the two trees on Castle Street. One is a mature Alder tree, the other is a Birch sapling.

As part of the design process, we have consulted with Sheffield Street Tree Partnership and have considered alternatives to removing the trees such as creating a "shared use" pavement where people using cycles and people walking and wheeling would share the same space for a short length of the route. Given the expected volume of pedestrian and cycle traffic, which will increase further with completion of Castlegate park and future regeneration works, we decided this is not a suitable alternative. The Castle Park site will increase overall tree cover in the area by providing more than 60 new trees in the wider Castle Street area.

To compensate for the removal of these two trees, we will plant four new Pin Oak trees between the Howard Hotel and Sheffield Station on Pond Street.

Further green space will be added in the future along Exchange Street as part of developer-led improvements, which are outside the scope of this project.

A large alder tree on a city centre street. Shops are in the background, and a red cycle route is painted on the road in front of the tree. Alder tree on Castle Street

A birch tree on a city centre street. Shops are in the background, with a red cycle route painted on the road in front of the tree. A blue road sign with a white arrow pointing left is mounted on a pole to the right of the tree, with a sign that reads 'Except cycles'.Birch tree on Castle Street

A map showing the proposed location for the new street trees. A red box covers an existing planter, between Pond Street and Sheaf Street. The Howard pub is on the western side of the planter and Sheffield Railway Station is on the Eastern side, over the ring road. The map shows the proposed location for the four new highway trees between
Pond Street and Sheaf Street

The maps below show the proposals in detail. You can also download pdfs from the document library on the right of this page which will allow you to zoom in.

A map showing the proposals for Connecting Sheffield: Castle Street. We'll add three new pedestrian crossings, improve the experience for bus passengers, introduce a cycle route that connects to others in the city centre and move the taxi rank nearer the shops. Map showing the proposals for Castle Street, Haymarket and Exchange Street

This map shows how Castle Street fits into the local, city centre cycle network. The east to west route will connect Grey to Green Castlegate to Bank Street and onwards to the University of Sheffield, Hospitals and Fargate. Existing connections nearby include the Upper Don Trail, Five Weirs Walk and National Cycle Network routes 627 and 6.This map shows how Castle Street fits into the local, city centre cycle network. The east to west route will connect Grey to Green Castlegate to Bank Street and onwards to the University of Sheffield, Hospitals and Fargate. Existing connections nearby include the Upper Don Trail, Five Weirs Walk and National Cycle Network routes 627 and 6.


A city centre street with a red brick protected cycle route. there are trees and buildings on either side of the road, planting between the carriageway and the cycle route and a red pillar box stands to the right. A bus can be seen in the distance and blue sky is overhead.
Nearby Angel Street which shows the standard of materials we will upgrade Castle Street to


Have your say on the proposals

We are holding a public consultation on these proposals. The consultation opened at 9am on Monday 13 October 2025 and will close at 11:59pm on Sunday 9 November 2025.

We are hosting a drop-in event on Thursday 23 October, 1pm to 6.30pm, at Raccoon Studios, 38 Haymarket, Sheffield, S1 2AX, where you can meet the project team and ask questions about the proposals.

Let us know your views by completing the survey on our website, or by getting in touch via email, telephone or freepost. Your feedback will help us to finalise our proposals.

If you would like information in an alternative format, please contact us by Freephone or email.

We will advertise the Traffic Regulation Orders (TROs) required for the project between Thursday 16 October and Thursday 13 November. A Traffic Regulation Order is a legal document which lets councils change the way roads are used.

When we advertise the TROs, you will have the opportunity to formally comment on them on our website here: https://hub.appyway.com/engagement, or on the Council’s Traffic Orders page here: https://www.sheffield.gov.uk/home/roads-pavements/traffic-orders

You should send any observations, either supporting or objecting to the proposed Order, including the grounds for any objection, through the website detailed above or by email to orders@sheffield.gov.uk

Next steps

Following the consultation, we will review all the feedback we receive through all channels before we go any further with the plans.

We will share feedback relating to the removal of two street trees and the proposed replacement plan with the Street Tree Partnership.

We expect to make a decision at the December Transport, Climate and Regeneration Committee and will share further updates on this page.

Contact us

If you have any questions, you can contact the project team through any of the following channels. These channels are monitored 9am-5pm, Monday to Friday outside of Bank Holidays:

Connecting Sheffield: Castle Street is being delivered by Sheffield City Council and is part-funded by South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority.

Page last updated: 15 Oct 2025, 01:23 PM