Connecting Sheffield: Neepsend and Kelham – City Centre

In spring 2021, Sheffield City Council consulted on its proposals for the Connecting Sheffield: Neepsend-Kelham-City Centre scheme. 

Kelham Island has become an increasingly vibrant and cosmopolitan inner-city residential district and visitor destination, and Neepsend is now following suit. The St Vincent’s Quarter around West Bar and Shalesmoor is also seeing new homes developed across the inner ring road, linking Kelham and Neepsend to the city centre.

Connecting Sheffield: Neepsend–Kelham–City Centre has been designed to reinforce and accelerate the development of Neepsend and Kelham, helping to improve the environment for those living in, working in and visiting these areas.

The scheme is being delivered by Sheffield City Council through the Government’s Transforming Cities Fund.

It is being delivered in conjunction with the Kelham Island and Neepsend Parking Scheme which has been proposed to manage parking in the area. Currently Kelham and Neepsend has free and unrestricted parking which means it can be difficult for larger vehicles to get round (and deliver to) the area but is also used for longer stay commuter parking. The area is likely to be attractive to park in for users of the new West Bar development too.  

In response to representations from some local residents and businesses, and with around 1,500 additional properties expected to be built in the area over the next 20 years, the Council is proposing to introduce restrictions which means you’d have to pay to park in the area. The parking zone also helps to facilitate the Connecting Sheffield: Neepsend – Kelham – City Centre proposals.

The Connecting Sheffield: Neepsend – Kelham – City Centre proposals include changing the layout of some roads in Neepsend, making walking, cycling and public transport infrastructure improvements in Neepsend and Kelham and installing Sheffield’s first Dutch-style roundabout at West Bar and a Dutch-style priority square junction at Tenter Street opening in winter 2024/25. These features have been put in place to prioritise pedestrians and cyclists travelling through the area.

Changes following the consultation

Following feedback received during the 2021 consultation and a design review, we have made some changes to the proposals. An overview of the changes is outlined below:

• Removing the proposals for speed bumps on Russell Street and Green Lane. A recent review of these roads found that cars travelling along them do not travel fast enough for any benefit to be gained from implementing speed bumps. The continuous footways originally proposed here will be retained.
• Removing the proposals for cycle routes along each side of Neepsend Lane between the Gardener’s Rest pub and the junction with Rutland Road. Instead the space allocated for the cycle routes would be used for taxi drop off / pick up and loading bays which are needed by local businesses.
• The outbound bus gate proposed at the junction of Neepsend Lane and Rutland Road is expected to reduce traffic flows sufficiently to allow cycling in the carriageway alongside general traffic.
• Making the Dutch-style roundabout at West Bar into a perfect circle which makes navigating the roundabout easier and safer for cyclists. This was also following an independent review of the design, we will continue to have the plans independently reviewed as the scheme advances.
• The detailed design of the junction of Townhead Street and Broad Lane has been changed to improve safety.
• There will now be hazard warning paving at continuous footways following consultation with disability groups. The hazard warning paving helps visually impaired long cane users detect that there is a crossing nearby and navigate safely to the crossing.