Having secured a 40-storey consent in Castlegate last year, developer Shenton Group is looking to repeat the trick with a proposal for a neighbouring 54-storey, £225m tower on King Street.
Oppidan Tower would have 1,100 co-living apartments, retail units on the ground floor, a gym, sky lounge, co-working space, bars, restaurants, and public realm.
OMI is the architect, with Deloitte advising on planning and heritage.
Stressing that the design is “very much at concept stage,” chief executive Colin Shenton told Place Yorkshire that the aim is to submit a planning application next summer.
A formal pre-application has been submitted, but much work remains to be done finessing design and tenure. Shenton said that finance will come from the group’s own resources and a forward-funding package, with viability still being assessed.
As co-applicant, the business secured full planning permission in early 2024 for the adjacent Kings Tower project, later disposing of its interest. Cushman & Wakefield has this year been appointed on the sale of the site.
Shenton said: “King Street is the link between Fargate and Castlegate and so is crucial not only to the wider regeneration of this part of the city, but as a destination in its own right. It deserves a high quality landmark building with extensive investment in the public realm to show the commitment of the private and public sectors.
“We very much look forward to working with the City Council to develop the design and ensure it achieves the city’s goals for the area.”
If delivered at this scale, the tower would be the tallest in the country outside of London and Manchester, with the developer noting that the height is necessary for viability purposes.
Sheffield City Council is investing around £26m into the regeneration of the Castlegate area, with plans including the creation of a park, the opening up of the River Sheaf, and displaying previously hidden parts of the 11th century Sheffield Castle.
Earlier this year, archaeological findings on the site led to a redesign of the park area, to preserve previously undiscovered remains.
That project is set to complete at the end of 2026 or beginning of 2027.