Centred on Leopold Street, Connecting Sheffield: Townhead Street and Leopold Street will make it easier, safer, more attractive and a better-connected environment for people to safely walk, wheel and cycle around.

In addition to the transport improvements, more open public space will be created on Leopold Street allowing restaurants and cafes there the chance to have seating outside during the warmer months among the added greenery. The project will also link in perfectly with the growing walking and cycle network at West Bar, Fargate, Castle Street and the continued improvement work taking place on Pinstone Street and Surrey Street.

We have already made massive improvements to large parts of the transport network in the city centre, and this project is the missing piece of the jigsaw. It will complement those other elements brilliantly, helping to expand the number of people friendly, prosperous streets that we have in the city centre.

It will also turn Leopold Street into a destination alongside the likes of Fargate, Heart of the City and the Grey-to-green at Castlegate as places people will want to go to in order to meet friends, family and to relax and enjoy what Sheffield has to offer. As Sheffield continues to grow, welcoming new businesses and delivering thousands of new homes on brownfield sites, it’s vital that we continue to invest to shape a city centre worthy of our ambitions.

Cllr Ben Miskell, Chair of the Transport, Regeneration and Climate Policy Committee at Sheffield City Council

As part of the project:
•    Leopold Street will become one-way with traffic travelling towards the junction of Townhead Street, West Street and Church Street.
•    In line with passenger feedback, the free Sheffield Connect SC1 bus will be able to turn left off Leopold Street, making journey times shorter and more attractive to passengers.
•    The bus shelter on Leopold Street for Sheffield Connect will be upgraded.
•    The taxi rank on Leopold Street will remain and be improved, along with blue badge parking and loading facilities into Orchard Square.
•    A mini–Pocket Park will be introduced at the top of Townhead Street creating more public space along with added greenery throughout the project, helping to transform the area
•    To improve safety a cycle crossing will be installed from Townhead Street to Leopold Street and the pedestrian crossing on at the tram junction will be moved to a more convenient location.

“As we have with the Connecting Sheffield: City Centre project, roadworks will need to take place to install these improvements, but we are committed to working closely with businesses and residents in the area to ensure as little disruption as possible.

It’s going to look fantastic, bringing in far more greenery and new public spaces for people to enjoy. Sheffield city centre has improved so much over the past couple of years into a wonderful place to live, work and enjoy and this transformation of the transport network will go hand in hand in supporting that regeneration. We want people to be able to get into and out of the city centre as easily as possible, by whatever form of transport they wish and, by completing this section of the project, it will complete a major part of our goal for Sheffield”

Cllr Miskell

You can have your say on the plans by taking part in the consultation via the Have Your Say pages of the Sheffield City Council website.