Sheffield City Council and Homes England are moving forward with plans for a major £300m residential-led regeneration of the Moorfoot gateway site, as the city looks to unlock a new phase of brownfield development.
The partners have begun preliminary market engagement with developers and investors for the 12-acre Moorfoot Catalyst Site, located south of The Moor. The scheme is expected to play a key role in reshaping this part of Sheffield city centre, delivering new homes, commercial space, retail uses and improved public realm.
The first phase will focus on the former Wickes site and the landmark Moorfoot Building. Together, they are expected to deliver around 725 homes, alongside new commercial and retail space. Around 320 of the homes are planned within the refurbished Moorfoot Building, which council chiefs say would become one of the largest commercial retrofit projects in the UK.
At least 10% of the homes delivered through the scheme are expected to be affordable, supporting Sheffield’s wider housing ambitions while bringing new life to a prominent city centre site.
Plans also include a new public square and improved connections between London Road, Ecclesall Road and Sheffield’s main retail and business districts. These links are intended to make the area more accessible and better connected, while encouraging movement between key parts of the city.
A central part of the vision is the retention and reuse of the Moorfoot Building. Sheffield City Council said this approach would preserve an estimated 14,400 tonnes of embodied carbon, underlining the project’s focus on sustainable regeneration and the value of adapting existing buildings rather than replacing them.
The current market engagement process will help shape the funding model, delivery strategy and procurement route before a formal tender is launched later this year. Interested parties have until 19 June 2026 to respond to the preliminary market engagement questionnaire.
Kate Josephs, Chief Executive of Sheffield City Council, said: “We’re delighted to bring the Moorfoot site to market.
“This is a truly unique and exciting development opportunity that will act as a catalyst not only for this site, but for surrounding brownfield land and future phases of regeneration.
“The Moorfoot Building itself is a distinctive piece of architecture that always sparks conversation, and its transformation will form one of the largest commercial retrofit projects in the UK.”
If delivered, the Moorfoot regeneration could become a major catalyst for Sheffield’s next wave of city centre growth, combining housing, retrofit, placemaking and sustainable urban renewal.
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