Sheffield history: Private members club with accommodation planned for listed former bank in city centre

The old Midland Bank building on George Street, opposite the Curzon cinema and beside Cutlers Hotel, was built in 1914 and is Grade II-listed. The distinctive stone property, which stands within the Sheffield City Centre conservation area, was converted into offices and most recently used by the NSPCC but has been empty since 2021, when the charity moved its face-to-face contact hubs out of the city.

Plans have been submitted to convert the ground and mezzanine floors into a private members club with a lounge bar and restaurant and some ‘boutique’ accommodation. The first floor would become a three-bedroom home, accessed from Mulberry Street.

The planning application has been submitted to Sheffield City Council by James Smith. A design and access statement, submitted on Mr Smith’s behalf by his agent Five Seventy Three, states: “This design proposal ensures this historic building is occupied, breathing a new lease of life into a handsome contribution to the street. The dual uses allow the property to be fully utilised, playing to the strengths of the building configuration and separate street frontages.”

The external appearance of the building would be almost entirely unaltered, according to the plans, while, inside, the partitioning introduced when the property was converted into offices would be ‘unpicked’. The plans for the ‘boutique’ accommodation on the mezzanine floor show two bedrooms, one of which is ensuite, and an open plan kitchen/living area.