If you missed our virtual news conference, here’s your chance to hear about future plans for Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park – 2021 and beyond.
Hear from some of our partners about how we will deliver an Olympic legacy through health & wellbeing, investment & regeneration, research & innovation, and education & new skills.
Question & Answer session
Please see details below of outstanding questions that we didn’t have enough time to answer at the news conference.
1. Will the Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park initiative also address the neighbourhood health inequalities in terms of industrial waste, pollution, dust, smell and noise in the area? It is a great project, I am a local resident and it has already massively transformed and advanced the area in terms of health, fitness and wellbeing opportunities.
The delivery of Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park is based on the legacy themes from the London 2012 Olympics, one of which was creating an improved environment. We are working with Sheffield City Council to improve the air quality by rerouting heavy vehicles on to Brightside Lane and the integration of an active travel route for cyclists through from Sheffield City Centre.
Our travel plan promotes the use of public transport (tram and bus) and active travel with improved access to the canal for cyclists and pedestrians. Whilst we cannot address every nuisance, improving the environment in the area is one of our primary objectives.
As the project progresses we will be be consulting and engaging with local people on our plans and identifying further opportunities to improve health and wellbeing for the surrounding communities.
2. How much is the s106/CIL for the site and what plans are there to provide community benefits in the area such as affordable housing?
The s1o6 and CIL contributions will be determined once our development partner, Scarborough Group, has submitted an outline planning application for the next phase of the Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park masterplan. The priorities for these contributions will be influenced and shaped by community consultation and discussions with Sheffield City Council.
3. I’m keen to understand how we can better bring the community into Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park further, to address health and wider inequalities.
This is high on our agenda and we are already starting to address this key issue. Last year we invited Darnall Well Being to join the Legacy Park Ltd Board of Directors to represent the local community and to provide two-way communication with the local community. We also work closely with several other community organisations in the local area.
Our colleague Claire Fretwell is chair of the Oasis Don Valley Hub Council which works to connect with the local community beyond the pupils and parents of the academy.
Community activities to date have included the introduction of a junior parkrun, fun runs for local schools, and free bike repair events. Current initiatives include the creation of an ‘Active Space’ outdoor exercise area, volunteering opportunities at the Oasis Academy allotment and opportunities for cycle coaching and learn to ride sessions.
Going forward we will be consulting with local communities to explore how Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park can contribute to further addressing these issues.
4. Forgetting the pandemic, why has it taken so long for the Sheffield Eagles stadium to start? It’s had many start dates and it still hasn’t started? Is there an update on the start date now, as I was led to believe it was starting last week?
Regrettably there have been some unavoidable delays, which we understand are frustrating. However, Scarborough Group is fully committed to the development and fully expects construction work to begin in February 2021 with a target date for completion in early 2022.
5. Any incubation space at the new business park?
Yes. Currently there is space in surrounding existing buildings on Leeds Road and in the English Institute of Sport Sheffield.
There will be some space in the stadium development that will be completed in 2022 and one of the first investments following the signing of the Development Agreement is the creation of an Incubator and Innovation Centre. Location and timescales to be confirmed.
6. On the 12th March 2013 it was announced on BBC News that part of the Olympic Legacy Park plans would provide a venue for Rugby for Sheffield Eagles as well as Gymnastics. What has changed and why is the stadium no longer just a stadium for Rugby (Both Codes) and the development of this sport within the region & city
The Community Stadium will be a fantastic opportunity to help us deliver one of the main themes of the London 2012 Olympic legacy – providing improved opportunities for the local community to participate in a range of sports. It will be the home of Sheffield Eagles RLFC, but also provide sporting facilities for the 600 students at UTC and 1,200 pupils at the Oasis Academy, as well as for the local community in the evenings and weekends. Opportunities for gymnastics will continue to be accommodated at the English Institute of Sport Sheffield.
7. How are developers prioritising sustainability in the Park, in particular will any be Passivhaus standard?
Sustainability is one of the Olympic legacy themes and is at the heart of what we are looking to achieve. For instance, the new landscaping incorporates Sustainable Drainage Systems, the buildings are served by EON’s combined heat and power plant at Blackburn Meadows which uses recycled wood waste from the surrounding area, and all buildings will be delivered to BREEAM accreditation standards in accordance with Sheffield City Council’s planning guidelines.
8. Beyond the development of the stadium, what’s the timescale for the rest of the proposals – the basketball arena and the cricket area at Don Valley Bowl please?
Canon Medical advised that its facility, which includes the basketball arena, is due for completion in 2022. The cricket square is already in place at Don Valley Bowl and has been used by the local community for the last couple of years.
9. Will the factory areas on the left side of the park be replaced by Scarborough innovation?
The physical, social and environmental wellbeing benefits of waterside locations are well documented, and this is something we want to incorporate into the DNA of the park. While gaining critical mass on site is our immediate priority, our development partner, Scarborough Group, has confirmed it will explore the potential redevelopment opportunities for the land to the south of the canal as part of their longer-term ambition for the park.
10. There will clearly be considerable demand for quality hotel bedrooms to satisfy existing and future demand generated by training athletes, visitors to the park, etc. Has consideration been given to a hotel delivery structure and potential timing?
Yes, the flythrough showed a hotel on the end of the English Institute of Sport Sheffield and adjacent to the tram stop which will provide new facilities and bedrooms for all users of the park and the English Institute of Sport Sheffield.
11. My company has recently moved into the area opposite the Oasis Academy with Yorkshire Electric Scooters Ltd. We are planning to open the UK’s first riding academy for scooters and bicycles in the Don Valley area when council policy allows. Safer riders, enjoying more outdoor activity. These plans are EXACTLY the reason we decided to situate there and my team and I are hugely excited about the future of the area, and opportunities for the residents. Can you advise how large industrial vehicles will be rerouted away from this gateway area please to make our roads safer and more appealing?
Sheffield City Council has funds available to connect Sheffield for pedestrians and cyclists; (further details https://connectingsheffield.commonplace.is/overview) and a route from Sheffield City Centre to Rotherham via Attercliffe is proposed. We would also like to see HGV routed away from Attercliffe Common onto Brightside Lane.
12. How will the real estate element be funded please? Has Scarborough Group signed any tenants for the offices or hotel?
Our development partner, Scarborough Group, has decades of experience in securing significant funding streams for major developments across the UK and is currently in discussions with potential funding partners in respect of the hotel and first phase of office buildings.
13. Regarding plans for the Park Community Arena and Community Stadium – what provision is being made for community usage and is there an opportunity for the existing community network to be involved in developing the design to maximise engagement and accessibility?
The Community Arena is being delivered by Canon Medical and will be operated by MLS and Sheffield Sharks Basketball. It will also provide opportunities for use by the local community and further details will be available later in the year.
The Community Stadium will be delivered and operated by Scarborough Group, who will manage opportunities for local community usage going forward.
For the past three years the pitch has been in use by the UTC students and Oasis Academy pupils during the day and a range of local community groups in the evenings and weekends and we see no reason why this should change.
In addition, both Sheffield Eagles RLFC and Sheffield Sharks Basketball also have well-established community programmes, and these will provide additional routes for community use of the facilities.
