Approval expected for £3.5m arena at Sheffield’s Olympic Legacy Park

Plans for a new Indoor Community Arena on the Olympic Legacy Park (OLP) in Sheffield are set to be given the go ahead next week.

The full planning application for the £3.5m Park Community Arena, the new home for the Sheffield Sharks basketball team, and car parking has been recommended for approval at a meeting of planning officers on Tuesday 15 March.

Outline permission is also being sought for the Advanced Wellbeing Research Centre (AWRC), 3G sports pitch, the park’s public realm and three private sector opportunities for businesses to invest in.

Designed to complement the existing sporting facilities on the OLP, including the English Institute of Sport Sheffield and iceSheffield, the multi-purpose, Park Community Arena will have three basketball courts and seating for up to 2,500 spectators.

The arena will provide flexible sports facilities and event spaces for the local community as well as those based at the AWRC, UTC Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park and Oasis Academy Don Valley, located on the OLP.

Park Community Arena will also act as the new headquarters for Sheffield events procurement and delivery company, MLS Contracts Ltd.

The 35-acre Olympic Legacy Park is set to become an internationally recognised centre for health, wellbeing and innovation.

The OLP is a joint venture between Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Sheffield City Council.

Rt Hon Richard Caborn, project lead for the Olympic Legacy Park, on Attercliffe Common, said: “We have already made a huge amount of progress and this planning recommendation represents a significant step forward for the Olympic Legacy Park.

“The Oasis Academy Don Valley is now home to its first 120 children, the UTC Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park is starting to take shape ready for opening in October and, over the next 12 months, we will see work begin on the AWRC, the community pitch and the landscaping.

“The whole look of the area will be transformed with green spaces and wildlife-friendly habitats and we will be repositioning The Flame within the heart of the park.

“The Park Community Arena will be a fantastic addition to the facilities on the OLP and, combined with the English Institute of Sport Sheffield, iceSheffield and the Sheffield Arena, it will enhance the city’s offer and provide even more opportunities for Sheffield people to improve their health and wellbeing.”

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