Independent firms on a busy Sheffield road are set to be revamped in a £600,000 bid to make it a ‘destination’ for visitors.
London road shops
Businesses along London Road – which is a major artery route into the city centre and known for its mix of restaurants from around the world – will benefit from the scheme if owners agree.
Similar projects to repair, revamp and improve shops have taken place in Darnall and Spital Hill.
But this initiative – expected to be given the go ahead by Sheffield Council chiefs next week – forms part of a wider regeneration plan for London Road, which includes a £65 million development of shops, cafes, student flats and offices.
It will work by providing up to £4,500 per shop to improve their frontages.
Reports to the council’s cabinet say the road’s ‘overall image is poor, it exudes a lack of pride and suffers from fly posting on vacant buildings.’
It adds: “The centre has an existing reputation for the diversity of the food offer and boosting the image of the centre by improving the environment through a shop front improvement scheme provides an opportunity to build on the reputation and aim for recognition as a destination.”
The scheme will be paid for using money from the new homes bonus paid to the council by government for building houses.
Reports to cabinet said that the schemes in Spital Hill and Darnall had reduced the number of vacant units there and ‘increased investment’ in both the areas.
Councillor Jayne Dunn, the council’s cabinet member for housing said: “The shop front improvement scheme has made a significant impact in Darnall and Spital Hill and we are hoping it will have a similar impact on London Road.”