Agenda item

New Retail Quarter

It was moved by Councillor Colin Ross, seconded by Councillor Ian Auckland, that this Council:-

(a)       notes that work has begun on Sheffield’s new Chinatown development;

(b)       welcomes this development and believes that this is great news for Sheffield, which will bring £65 million of private foreign investment to regenerate part of the city and create 400 jobs;

(c)        believes that this is a great complement to the re-development of The Moor which was secured by the previous Administration and which is progressing at pace and on course for completion by the end of next year;

(d)       expresses disappointment at the rate at which the New Retail Quarter has progressed;

(e)       believes that the people of Sheffield have waited long enough for progress on the New Retail Quarter to be made; and

(f)        hopes that with the planning application submitted and a new developer soon to be announced there will be no further delays in the development.

Whereupon, it was moved by Councillor Leigh Bramall, seconded by Councillor Chris Rosling-Josephs, as an amendment, that the Motion now submitted be amended by the deletion of paragraphs (c) to (f) and the addition of new paragraphs (c) to (g) as follows:-

(c)        welcomes the proactive measures taken by the present Administration to allow the development to be brought forward;

(d)       welcomes the redevelopment of the Moor under the present Administration;

(e)       further welcomes the series of actions taken by the present Administration to drive forward the city’s New Retail Quarter, a crucial project for Sheffield, including:-

(i)         securing the New Development Deal to inject funds into the retail quarter to bridge the financial gap facing the scheme;

(ii)        parting company with Hammerson when they would not commit to start construction;

(iii)       taking control of the scheme as a Council, working to redesign a new scheme that is viable and fit for purpose in the long term, and taking real action to make the scheme happen; and

(iv)       securing the land and property needed to develop the scheme;

(f)        welcomes the interest from developers in the retail quarter and believes this is positive news which demonstrates viability and confidence in the new scheme; and

(g)       contrasts this action to the record of the previous Administration with three wasted years.

On being put to the vote, the amendment was carried.

The original Motion, as amended, was put as a Substantive Motion in the following form and carried:-