The go-ahead for the regeneration of Park Hill flats in Sheffield city centre has been struck as National regeneration agency English Partnerships, Sheffield City Council and developer Urban Splash announce completion of the formal agreements.

The regeneration of what is Britain’s largest grade II listed building will provide nearly 900 modern, distinctive and well-designed homes for sale or to rent.

Park Hill was the first completed building that tested the theory of using external access decks (the ‘streets in the sky’) as a method of building high without the problems of isolation and expense associated with tower blocks.

English Partnerships and Sheffield City Council have signed an agreement under which English Partnerships has agreed a £14.8m grant towards the cost of redeveloping the flats.

Urban Splash has also signed a development agreement with Sheffield City Council under which it will carry out the work to renovate the listed buildings and make them home to a vibrant, mixed community.

Park Hill flats was a flagship of imaginatively and successfully designed local authority housing when it was completed in 1961. It was the first post-war slum clearance scheme of an entire community in Britain and the most ambitious inner-city development of its time.

The architects tried to retain the sense of community in the houses they were replacing through the streets in the sky. These were designed to be used by milk floats and for people to meet and chat. Wherever possible neighbours were rehoused next to each other.

By the late 1990s Park Hill had become run down and was no longer a popular place to live. The building suffered from a lack of maintenance and the council was unable to modernise the homes to the “decent homes standard” that all social housing must reach by 2010.

The development will completely renovate the 1961 flats to provide a mix of homes, including:

• 634 for sale on the open market,
• 200 for rent through Manchester Methodist Housing Association, and
• 40 available under a shared ownership scheme.

The social/affordable housing will be spread in a random ‘pepperpot’ style, dotted among the owner-occupied apartments. The Housing Corporation is providing £9.85m funding towards the cost of the affordable housing for rent in the development.