Park Hill was the most ambitious inner city housing scheme of its time.
Designed by Ivor Smith and Jack Lynn, Park Hill dominates the eastern skyline of Sheffield. In 1997, it was listed at Grade II* for its architectural importance, its ground-breaking use of 'streets in the sky' and its impressive scale. By that time, however, it had become run down. Branded a crime-ridden eyesore, it was no longer a desirable place to live.
Sheffield City Council saw the listing as an opportunity to tackle the problems of the site and asked English Heritage to help. Other partners were the Parkway Housing Association and Transform South Yorkshire, as well as architectural firms Hawkins Brown and Studio Egret West.
Options for reinvention were explored and English Heritage then provided expert advice on the scope for change, while identifying the heritage values of the complex. These lay not only in the site's history but in the scale and vision of the original council housing scheme - in the expressed, reinforced concrete frame and the relationship of the building to the local landscape. Substantial changes to the internal layout and the infill panels within the frame could therefore be introduced without damaging its historic significance.
The project benefited immensely from Sheffield City Council's sustained commitment and from developer Urban Splash's good understanding of the site. Willingness to consider radical options helped to build momentum, and all were able to call on our advice while working around the many challenges of a project on this scale.
