Bacon Island Park: New riverside park and nearly 1,300 homes planned for up-and-coming Neepsend in Sheffield

Bacon Island Park would be situated in Neepsend beside the River Don, on a wedge of land surrounded by the A61 Penistone Road, Rutland Road and, across the water, Neepsend Lane. It is part of big plans to regenerate Neepsend, next to the trendy Kelham Island, which include building around 1,285 new homes, set out in Sheffield Council’s draft Local Plan.

The council document states that the new park along the northern edge of the River Don will help to ‘create a network of green spaces and connections with the Ponderosa and Parkwood’. The Local Plan also sets out wider proposals to better connect the area to the Don, including an extension of Waterloo Walk, and to create a new neighbourhood hub by expanding on existing services at Insignia Works and Steelworks Kelham.

A new public square, a new pedestrian bridge across the Don and an ‘attractive’ high street along Rutland Road providing community facilities are also planned, along with a new pedestrian and cyclist crossing on Penistone Road. The document also sets out proposals to restore historic buildings in the area, including the old Cannon Brewery, Cornish Works and Globe Works.

The Local Plan states that Neepsend has been chosen as a ‘priority location’ for development because it ‘has the capacity for volume development, facilitated by vacant sites, and large areas of land under single ownership’. The document says it is hoped the policy can encourage the delivery of 'stalled' development opportunities.

The biggest proposed development in Neepsend would be on land bordered by Penistone Road and Rutland Road, where 572 new homes are planned along with the new park. A further 132 homes are proposed at the former Cannon Brewery on Rutland Road, 191 new homes would be built at the Wickes site on Rutland Road, and 98 homes would be created at the buildings adjoining Penistone Road, Dixon Road and Cornish Street.

Bacon Island Park would not be the only new park in Sheffield. Work is almost complete on Pounds Park, on the site of the former Sheffield Central Fire Station on Wellington Street in Sheffield city centre.

The Local Plan, is a blueprint for development across Sheffield which will be used as a guide for planning applications until 2039. The draft version, which is out for consultation, includes proposals for 35,700 new homes around the city. To view the draft plan and have your say, visit: https://haveyoursaysheffield.uk.engagementhq.com/draft-local-plan.