Sheffields Heart of the City - Essay Example

? Sheffield’s Heart Of The Project Success Or Failure? History: A project initially begun by the Sheffield Council in 1995, what was termedas ‘The Magnificent Seven’ included ‘Heart of the City’ as one of its highlights. The mammoth project also featured the Sheffield Station, City hall, Castle gate, Ecampus, a new Retail quarter and an integrated transport system. Sheffield One later got involved with the Heart of the City project and involved ventures like Millennium Commission to generate funds for the project. The Millennium Commission uses the money raised by the National Lottery, to invest in public projects. The Project: The Heart of the City includes a new Public Square, Peace Gardens, Millennium Galleries and Winter Gardens complex which includes galleries, exhibition space, shops, cafe and public walkways. Peace Gardens were the first to open in 1998. The Millennium Galleries showcases cultural themes involving visual arts, craft and design. The Peace gardens and illuminated fountains put on a spectacular show during the night. Unique architecture in the form of stylish arches, winding pathways, glasshouses and tropical plants blend in to produce a spectacular sight. The Peace Gardens, Millennium Square and Winter Gardens are part of the Gold Network of attractive public spaces. They form a powerful hub and are the point at which the major route to the city centre from the station and the pedestrian link between the two universities intersect. The grant awarded to this project amounted to ?22,700,279 and the total cost incurred in this project has been ?45,221,155. Aims and Objectives: The primary objective of the project was to help the city of Sheffield regain its status as one of the top localities in Europe by making it more attractive to residents, outside investors and visitors. The aim was to do this by creating a lively, high quality, safe and sustainable city centre lively city centre for living, leisure, learning and retail. This was a key site which had been under-utilized in terms of commercial and public usage. The project was also aimed at expanding the Economy of the City in order to create new jobs and allow growth. High quality offices were to be designed in the city centre from where high profile functions of companies could be performed. A bustling hub of financial and professional services would also promote an investor-friendly image necessary to boost the local economy. Eventually all the economic growth would have allowed employment opportunities for the local community. In order to support the projected commercial and tourist activity, infrastructure was required. Projects like ‘Station Gateway’ and ‘New Retail Quarter’ were designed to improve accessibility, movement and linkages in the city. How successful has the project been? One of the questions the OGC 5 Gateway asks is whether the project is a success or not. Apart from a few shortfalls the project has largely been a success. The futuristic design of the City Centre has largely been successful in attracting local and foreign businesses. Tourists and students have also been drawn to the city giving a boost to the local economy. The Gateway is also interested in knowing in weather the business case in which investment is made is even valid. The business case for this venture still holds great value as it a profitable venture. City buildings and infrastructure were old and an improvement was required. A significant amount of the revenue was generated from this part of the city so it was necessary to develop this prime location. After the opening of the Millennium Galleries, ninety percent of Sheffield Museums and Galleries Trust income was generated by it alone, prior to the re-opening of the Weston Park Museum. Two-thirds of apartments were already sold even though a brick had not been laid, though 40% have passed to institutional investors. Economic activity has increased and more commercial outlets have set up their offices at St. Paul’s Place. Heart of the City project has been crucial in providing local employment as the city centre becomes a bustling financial centre. Sheffield has also attracted a large number of tourists and students which apart from adding to the diversity in the community have given a boost to the local economy. ‘Heart of the City’ project was economical in a manner that bidding had been done through a tender system and the contract for construction, designing etc. was awarded to the lowest bidder. The construction of the project also benefited by the economies of scale as raw materials were purchased in bulk so as huge discounts could be achieved. Another point of importance according to the OGC Gateway 5 is to check whether there is on-going contract development to improve value for money. There are three factors which decide whether a project is giving value for money or not, namely efficiency, effectiveness and economy. Economy means getting a particular thing done at the lowest possible cost. Efficiency relates to getting a particular thing done with the least amount of input, or getting the maximum output for a fixed amount of input. Effectiveness is a measure of quality of achievement in meeting objectives. The project is definitely economical as it was awarded to the lowest bidder through the tender system. Cement, steel and other raw materials were purchased in bulk so as to take benefit of bulk purchase discounts and this thereby shows the investment was efficient as well. Quality based certifications are given by the ISO Organisation and the ‘Heart of the City’ project was awarded the ISO 9001 certification by the organisation. The mere bestowment of this certification goes on to show how effective the project is. Other than that the project being designed by the best architects in town and its construction plan being approved by the local construction board also goes on the tell about the quality of work. The project was designed in such a manner so as to give overall benefit to the community. Different parts of the structure have accommodated each other well. For instance the hotel, restaurants and infrastructure support the traditional attractions situated in the city centre. They also provide a premises to hold conferences and business dinners for nearby business setups. OGC Gateway lists the completion of the project to its conclusion as another important factor. There are definite plans in place to see the project to its conclusion. The 45 million pound investment shows the gravity of the project. The government has also given a subsidy of 22 million pounds as they are aware of the importance of the project to the city of Sheffield. Moreover the world snooker championship has been planned in Sheffield so definitely the work would be completed before the tournament starts. The scheme has made excellent progress so far. The Phase 1 developments are all complete. The Millennium Galleries and Winter Gardens were completed in 2003 to much public acclaim. Footfall for Winter Gardens has risen from 1m in 2002/3 when it opened to 2m at the end of 2006.The McDonalds Hotel opened in November, 2005 and has since traded successfully, enjoying good levels of occupancy and the support of facilities. Office 1 was finished in March 2006 and shortly afterwards DLA Piper and the Royal Bank of Scotland became tenants. Cafe Nero, Cafe Rouge and Piccolinos have each taken space on the ground floor. The development of a new area of open space linking Peace Gardens and Winter Gardens, known as Millennium Square, was completed in March 2006. The work on a multi-storied car park that had begun in January, 2007 and the residential scheme and Office 2 began shortly afterwards in March 2007. There have not been any real delays in the project till yet, and delivering on time has been one of the key successes of this project. From an environmental stand point, the project has been pivotal in demonstrating sustainability. Unattractive civic buildings were deposed, while at the same time the basement infrastructure was retained in order to provide car park and service requirements. As a result the project received the Yorkshire Property Award for the best use/development of a site. Peace Gardens’ have repeatedly been acknowledged through multiple awards and it has gained a Green Flag status.” The Heart of the City has been a tremendous success. Apart from a few shortfalls, the project has largely lived up to its name and has significantly transformed the nucleus of the city into a diverse, vibrant and a profitable venue. It has proven that public sector enterprises like Sheffield One and Sheffield City Council can deliver to their community in more than one way. It has set very high standards for future development in terms of public realm. It has increased public and private sector confidence and has boosted both local and foreign investment. There is a sense of pride a new found belief amongst the local community which has largely been the primary focus of the project. Bibliography OGC, 2007, “OGC Gateway Process Review 5: Operations Review And Benefits Realisation”, OGC online available at http://www.ogc.gov.uk/documents/FINAL_BOOK_5.pdf Millennium Commission, 2011, “Sheffield – Remaking the heart of the City”, Millennium Commission online available at http://www.millennium.gov.uk/cgi-site/awards.cgi?action=detail&id=146&t=2 European Institute Of Urban Affairs, 2007, “Sheffield One Evaluation – Final Report”, LJMU online available at http://www.ljmu.ac.uk/EIUA/EIUA_Docs/Sheffield_One_Final_Report.pdf Top of Form SHEFFIELD (ENGLAND). (1980). Report for the City of Sheffield. [Sheffield] (Town Hall Chambers 1 Barkers Pool S1 1EN), [Sheffield City Council, Health and Consumer Services]. Top of Form ASPINALL, P. (1977). The Size structure of the house-building industry in Victorian Sheffield. Top of Form KOETTER, KIM & ASSOCIATES (U.K.) LTD, & SHEFFIE1D ONE. (2000). Sheffie1d [sic] one: Sheffield city centre regeneration : masterplan report. 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