Work to begin to remove and preserve key dangerous city centre facade

Contractors, working on behalf of Sheffield City Council, have started preparation work to remove and preserve a dangerous city centre façade which is at risk of completely collapsing.

The former Wiley & Co frontage, on Haymarket, is a Tudor-inspired design, including a bell tower at the top, however, the actual building behind it has long since been removed leaving only the façade remaining. Recent assessments of the condition of what remains, undertaken on behalf of the Council, have determined that it is in immediate danger of collapsing and posing a real risk to the public.

The owner of the site was invited to address this matter but has failed to act, as such the Council now needs to step in to ensure public safety. It is proposed to remove the black and white structure safely while preserving as much of it as possible, allowing the potential for future use by the building’s owner when the site is redeveloped.

Cllr Ben Miskell, Chair of the Transport, Regeneration and Climate Policy Committee, said: “As the City Council, our number one priority is always the safety of the people of Sheffield, with the façade being in such a dangerous state and at risk of collapsing into Haymarket, we have attempted to work with the building’s owner to make the structure safe. However, that hasn’t been possible, and we have been left with no option but to act.

“Throughout the process, we have been keeping representatives of the heritage organisations informed and we are very much aware of the importance of the façade and have kept this in mind every step of the way. Rather than just remove the structure, we are putting a plan in place to safely remove the façade while at the same time preserving as much of it as possible should the building’s owner wish to reinstate it at a later date, which we hope will be the case.

Preparation work is due to begin this weekend and will include removing vegetation from behind the façade, the formation of safe working platforms, and a detailed survey being carried out of the frontage so a safe dismantling of the structure and the existing scaffolding can take place.