The Acorn

Project Status: On Hold. Cleared site with an implemented and extant new-build planning consent for 21 apartments with bar / restaurant.

We identified this prominent c.1853 building, the former Acorn Inn, as a key regeneration opportunity in the heart of Sheffield’s fashionable Kelham Island Quarter.

The original vision, based on structural reports before acquisition, was an ambitious façade retention scheme. The plan was to preserve the building’s historic frontage while inserting a new four-storey structure behind it to create 21 apartments and a ground-floor restaurant, for which full planning permission was granted..

However, as we moved into the detailed pre-construction phase, it became clear from our appointed engineers that the building’s structural integrity was fundamentally compromised. We immediately pivoted the entire project, halting work on the retention plan and directing the design team to prepare for a full new-build scheme while implementing additional investigation of the structure.

Subsequent intrusive investigations confirmed this decision was correct, revealing a major, unforeseen structural crisis: the 1800s building had no foundations. The external walls were found to be built directly off the ground with only minimal concrete slab cover to the basement floor.

This discovery made the façade retention plan impossible. The building was dangerously unstable, and its basement once home to the renowned ‘Club 60’ directly adjoined the A61 inner ring road, posed a significant risk of collapse.

The project instantly pivoted from heritage restoration to a high-risk engineering challenge. We led the specialist team to engineer a complex, multi-stage demolition. This involved first infilling the basement cellars with aggregate to brace the walls and protect the highway. Only then could a careful, top-down demolition by our specialist contractor proceed.

This pivot also required a complex new planning process to move from the approved façade-retention scheme to a full new-build. We successfully navigated this, and a key achievement of this new consent was securing it with no Section 106 agreement.

After successfully discharging the pre-commencement planning conditions and completing the demolition, this confirmed a material start on site. This strategic action implemented the consent, securing the site’s valuable planning permission. The new-build scheme was subsequently tendered, but due to the significant delays from the unforeseen structural crisis, prices came in over budget. The decision was made to pause and hold the asset.

The project’s current status is a cleared, prepped site, fully de-risked, with an implemented, extant planning consent.

Key Facts

Location: Kelham Island Quarter, Sheffield

Our Role: Development Consultant & Crisis Management

Site History: Former 1800s inn (The Acorn), “The Printworks,” and home to the renowned ‘Club 60’.

Original Consent: 16/01915/FUL for 21 apartments and commercial space.

Key Challenge: Initial reports showed poor ground, and our 2017 investigations confirmed the building was structurally unsound and had no foundations, posing a risk to the A61 inner ring road.

The Pivot: A decisive pivot to a full new-build scheme was made in July 2017.

Key Planning Win: The new-build consent was secured with no Section 106 agreement.

Outcome: Successful demolition and an implemented, extant planning consent for 21 dwellings. Project tendered but placed on hold.

Project Team
Development Lead: Tony Carroll
Investor: Island Life (South Yorkshire) Limited
Employers Agent: Monaghans
Architect: Cadenza
Engineer: Tier Consult
Engineer: FR Consulting Engineers
Geotechnical: (Pre-Acquisition): Eastwood & Partners
Demolition Contractor: MHH
Building Owner’s Surveyor: Anthony J Kay
CDM: Ranmoor Health and Safety