The fourth phase of Park Hill comes following the £100m redevelopment of the scheme to date – including the completed first phase, comprising 260 homes and 30,000 sq ft of workspace – as well as phases 2 and 3 which are currently on site.

The Artspace phase is a national flagship project will transform the heart of Park Hill, providing a world-class destination for arts, culture and heritage. Underlining Sheffield’s role as a key player in the Northern Powerhouse, Park Hill Art Space will be a major economic driver for the city, acting as a catalyst for its visitor economy and a creative industry incubator encouraging inward investment.

Speaking of the news, Louise Hutchinson, Artistic Director/CEO, S1 Artspace said: “We are delighted that Sheffield City Council have approved our plans for Park Hill Art Space. Over the past four years based at Park Hill, we’ve worked closely with the local community to deliver a relevant and ambitious programme of exhibitions and events. The opportunity to build on this work by establishing a major new cultural destination for the region will be significant for Sheffield. This project is also much more than an arts development, it is about recognising the pivotal role of culture in shaping the future of the city.”

Added Simon Gawthorpe of Urban Splash: “Our total investment in Park Hill is currently over £100m and we are proud that we have powered through the vision we had 10 years ago - which is now becoming a reality; Park Hill Artspace has a significant part to play in this.

“In March we started work on Phase 2, which will be a further 200 residential flats and more commercial space which we aim to complete by mid 2021; Phase 3 – new student accommodation delivered by the Alumno Group called Beton House – will be ready for occupancy by September 2020. We already have a thriving 700-strong, active community at Park Hill and S1 has helped to develop this. They have integrated their work with the residents and businesses, their artist studios provide an artistic vibrancy to the local area and their exhibitions have attracted national attention, and visitors from all over the UK adding to the cultural reputation of Sheffield."

Building on Sheffield’s reputation as a city of culture on the world stage, Park Hill Art Space will feature one of the largest contemporary art galleries in the North of England as well as artist studios, workspace for creative businesses, learning and community studios, heritage flats, accommodation for visiting artists, a gallery shop and café. The project will provide public access to the Duke St block of the Grade II* listed Park Hill estate, including access to flats as part of a public heritage offer.

The existing concrete structure of the building will be carefully restored and provide a framework for the repurposed spaces. The new build art gallery will be connected to the base of the residential tower, utilising the former Link pub as the entrance space, café and gallery shop. The gallery building is designed as a series of interlinked rooms, partially submerged into the sloped landscape and organised around a secure external courtyard. The art gallery will be built from brick and concrete, making a material link to the original buildings of Park Hill.

“Our designs have been continually inspired by our client’s vision for a new visual arts venue which feels creatively progressive but also deeply rooted to its sense-of-place in Sheffield and to Park Hill itself. This marks an important milestone in the delivery of that vision and one which plays a significant role in safeguarding the future of Park Hill,” added Andy Groarke, Carmody Groarke.

Concluded Tom Bloxham MBE, Chairman of Urban Splash: "We are very pleased to see the S1 Art Space plans progress. Our support for this and S1 is another example of Urban Splash’s commitment to help the arts across the country; in addition to our work at Park Hill we have also created artist spaces at Ocean Studios in Plymouth, Paradise Works in Manchester and have helped support hundreds of artist-backed events . We believe in genuine mixed use regeneration and are always delighted to work with credible artists and art organisations to help transform our towns and cities."

The plans also include designs by Jonathan Cook Landscape Architects which will transform the landscape of Park Hill into an urban sculpture park, and residential flats by Urban Splash which will complete Phase 4 of Park Hill .