The Cultural Industries Quarter Conservation Area (CIQ) sits between the City Centre and the Midland Station.
The area is tightly bounded by the main roads of Arundel Gate and Eyre Street along the west, and part of the ring road on St Mary's Road to the south.
The eastern boundary takes in Leadmill Road, Cross Turner Street and Sheaf Street and includes Howard Street to the north, next to the Sheffield Hallam University.
The area enclosed by these streets contain the surviving remnants of the 18th Century development on the Duke of Norfolk's Estate and later 19th Century expansion along the Porter Brook to the south and south east.
There are various special elements that justify the designation of the conservation area. These include:
- surviving elements of the grid pattern and hierarchy of different streets which grew up across the 18th Century estate of the Duke of Norfolk
- six distinctive character areas which make up the CIQ as a whole
- important metal trades area of Sheffield
- characterised by numerous examples of 'Little Mesters' (craftsmen in cutlery and tool making) in mixed residential and small scale industrial workshop buildings often arranged in courtyard form
- Sixteen listed buildings, eg. the Grade II* Butchers Wheel, and Grade II Stirling Works
- several unlisted significant buildings, eg the distinctive former 1930s Art Deco styled 'Kenning's car garage' now Showroom Cinema and Workstation offices
- surviving industrial chimneys add interest to rooflines
- 3-4 storey buildings with back of pavement boundaries characteristic of the area
- historic floors and distinctive red brick used as main building material
- archaeology around Porter Brook provides evidence of early water powered mills in area
Date of designation
The Cultural Industries Quarter Conservation Area was reported to the City Centre Area Board on 22 January 2001.
Further consideration was then given to the 'Leadmill Triangle' extension and the area was then approved on 5 February 2001.
A variation to the boundary of the Cultural Industries Quarter Conservation Area was made on 28 April 2008 to include buildings bounded by Suffolk Road, Turner Street and Cross Turner Street.
Conservation Area Appraisal
The designation of the Conservation Area followed an Appraisal.
Part 2 of the document is related to the 'Preservation and Enhancement' of the area. This guidance forms Supplementary Planning Guidance (SPG) to the Unitary Development Plan (UDP) polices.
Also available is a document summarising the Townscape Heritage Initiative (THI) grant scheme that ran between 2002 and 2007.