Having operated the tennis courts onsite and across the city for several years, we are seeking to create a multi-activity hub that brings people together and helps them to get active.
Following a procurement exercise, political approval and funding success, the project has now progressed to the planning application stage and the proposals include a brand new, forever free multi-use games area and tennis courts with LED lighting, covered padel courts, mini golf course, community café, public access toilets and indoor activity space – a brew, a loo and lots to do!
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June 2024 update
New sports facilities are coming to Hillsborough Park!
We are pleased to announce our partnership with Reech Sports in developing the new sporting and activity facilities at the Hillsborough hub which it set to open before the end of the year.
Reech sports specialise in designing and installing unique sporting facilities where inclusivity and sustainability are at the forefront. They will be assisting us with the design and construction of the resurfaced MUGA with line markings for 5-aside football and 4 separate games of basketball, a tennis and netball court, 2x tennis courts and LED lighting for all sports.
We are confident that this partnership will be of great benefit to the community in and around Hillsborough, with Reech Sports sharing our desire to help people get active and feel their best by providing them with a supportive, encouraging, and inclusive space to do so. Reech Sports have a depth of knowledge and experience, their impressive portfolio includes the rejuvenation of playgrounds and multi-use games areas in parks and schools across the midlands and Wales, in addition to their work developing facilities for professional sports clubs.
Reech Sports have commented, “We are proud to partner and work with Courtside in the development of their new hub in Sheffield. We at Reech Sports love building impactful and inclusive sports facilities that enable communities to be more active. We feel privileged to have the opportunity to work on this fantastic project conceptualised by Courtside that we know will empower the community of Hillsborough and wider Sheffield for years to come”.
The approved plans, which are fully funded by Sheffield City Council, DLUHC, Sport England, the Lawn Tennis Association and Courtside, also include: new free-to-use toilets and water supply, low-cost activity options, an indoor activity space, an extended Learn to Ride area accessible by widened pathways, and improved landscaping which is set to achieve a biodiversity net gain of over 500%.
We are grateful to everyone who has helped to shape the approved plans for the Hillsborough hub including those that completed surveys, attended public consultations, and commented on the planning application. The team is excited about the developments commencing in Hillsborough Park and are confident that with the help of Reech Sports, the Hillsborough hub will be the place to go for a range of social and physical activities with a welcoming community feel. The goal is to create a home from home for local people and a destination day out for others, to achieve even more social impact in Hillsborough and across Sheffield.
Isobel Wells
Contract Manager, Courtside
May 2024 update
Rejuvenation of Hillsborough Park to commence!
We are pleased to announce that we have appointed a construction team to manage the build of the Hillsborough hub and work is set to commence in early June.
We have appointed JBP Construction to undertake the project and are confident that renovations of Hillsborough Park are safe in their hands. JBP Construction have recently stepped up to complete work on the abandoned Marriott hotel in Catcliffe in an effort to visually improve the area and facilitate those wanting to visit Sheffield and South Yorkshire. JBP have assured us that they will take every precaution to minimise disruption to locals and ensure that they preserve the heritage of the park during the construction of the Hillsborough hub. Work on the hub is set to complete by the end of the year.
JBP Construction have said: “We are delighted to secure this contract to provide new leisure facilities for Courtside in Hillsborough Park. As a Sheffield-based contractor, it’s very satisfying to both promote continued employment for our team and supply chain in the city, as well as an enhancing leisure provision on a site only four miles from our HQ.”
The approved plans, which are fully funded by Sheffield City Council, DLUHC, Sport England, the Lawn Tennis Association and Courtside, include: a community café with indoor and outdoor seating, a fully resurfaced MUGA with LED lighting and line markings for 5-aside football and 4 separate games of basketball, new free-to-use toilets and water supply, a flexible communal outdoor space, low-cost activity options such as tennis, padel and mini golf, an indoor activity space, an extended Learn to Ride area accessible by widened pathways, and improved landscaping which is set to achieve a biodiversity net gain of over 500%.
Councillor Kurtis Crossland, Chair of the Communities, Parks and Leisure Committee at Sheffield City Council, said: “Sheffield is the Outdoor City, and we have a mission to help people in Sheffield be more active and live healthier lifestyles. To do this, we need to make sure that everyone has access to quality facilities and services, such as our Green Flag Hillsborough Park, which will be enhanced further by this new activity hub.”
Councillor Richard Williams, Chair of the Charity Trustee Policy Sub Committee, added: “The transformation of Hillsborough Park has been in the pipeline for some time, and following our decision to endorse the improvement of the tennis courts and new activity space, we are delighted that planning permission has now been granted for this unique new facility, which will have a real benefit to the local Hillsborough community and the people of Sheffield. We look forward to working with the Courtside team to make this vision a reality.”
Along with the new hub, we are in discussions regarding increasing the frequency of maintenance of the other tennis courts that we manage across the city and thank you for your patience whilst this new maintenance programme is developed.
We are grateful to everyone who has helped to shape these approved plans by completing surveys, attending public consultations, and commenting on the planning application. The team is excited about the imminent commencement of renovations and confident that, once all is complete, the Hillsborough hub will be the place to go for a range of social and physical activities with a welcoming community feel. The goal is to create a home from home for local people and a destination day out for others, to achieve even more social impact in Hillsborough and across Sheffield.
Isobel Wells
Contract Manager, Courtside
April 2024 update
23/03892/FUL – Hillsborough Park community hub planning application: Planning permission granted
We are delighted to announce that planning permission has been unanimously granted for the development of a multi-activity hub and community café in Hillsborough Park.
Plans were submitted to Sheffield City Council in December 2023 and underwent review by the council, local residents and statutory bodies. This followed a public consultation in spring of the previous year which showed that over 80% of respondents were positive about the Hillsborough hub overall and 56% said that the proposals would make them use the park more. We also consulted with park users – including Sheffield Cycling 4 All, parkrun, MUGA users, tennis players and local schools – to ensure the new hub layout allows them to continue and enhance their enjoyment of the park.
The approved plans, which are fully funded by Sheffield City Council, DLUHC, Sport England, the Lawn Tennis Association and Courtside, include: a community café with indoor and outdoor seating, a fully resurfaced MUGA with LED lighting and line markings for 5-aside football and 4 separate games of basketball, new free-to-use toilets and water supply, a flexible communal outdoor space, low-cost activity options such as tennis, padel and mini golf, an indoor activity space, an extended Learn to Ride area accessible by widened pathways, and improved landscaping which is set to achieve a biodiversity net gain of over 500%.
We developed these plans with accessibility in mind. The whole site will be wheelchair friendly open to people with any disability seen or unseen. The path to the west of the tennis courts (nearest the pond) is being widened to 3 metres, from its current 1.5 metres, which will allow users (both on wheels and on foot) to have more space for passing each other, especially important for park users utilising the space on adapted cycles.
By having lower intensity options for exercise such as padel and mini golf, and social activities in the community café, we are ensuring that the Hillsborough hub caters for the older generations that can often be overlooked. Furthermore, by having free-to-use toilets, alongside a variety of new activity options, we hope that girls in Sheffield feel more confident spending time and exercising in Hillsborough Park, as previous Yorkshire Sport research found a lack of toilet facilities to be a barrier to girls exercising and spending time in parks at all.
The income generated from paid-for facilities and activities, and from food and drink, at good value price points to suit the local area, will help to cross subsidise exercise options for those who face economic barriers to participation, including free ‘Holiday and Food’ camps offered to disadvantaged local children. In addition, maintenance fees to look after facilities will be ring-fenced to benefit the Hillsborough Park charity.
Having been granted planning permission, we are aiming to satisfy the relevant planning conditions and confirm the appointment of a local construction company to commence works in May 2024. The onsite team will do their utmost to minimise disruption during construction with the end result being improved facilities that maintain and enhance the heritage of Hillsborough Park for future generations to enjoy.
We are grateful to everyone who has helped to shape these approved plans by completing surveys, attending public consultations and commenting on the planning application. The team is excited about the imminent commencement of renovations and confident that, once all is complete, the Hillsborough hub will be the place to go for a range of social and physical activities with a welcoming community feel. The goal is to create a home from home for local people and a destination day out for others, to achieve even more social impact in Hillsborough and across Sheffield.
Isobel Wells
Contract Manager, Courtside
December 2023 update
Planning application submission: Hillsborough multi-activity hub & community café 13/11/23
Our planning application for the proposed multi-activity hub in Hillsborough Park is now live and under consideration by the Council’s planning department.
The proposals include a brand new, forever free multi-use games area and tennis courts with LED lighting, covered padel courts, mini golf course, community café, public access toilets and indoor activity space – a brew, a loo and lots to do!
Comments can be made at: Sheffield City Council – Tennis Courts at Hillsborough Park 15th September 2023
Sheffield City Council’s Charity Trustee Sub-Committee is an appointed group responsible for decisions relating to public spaces such as Hillsborough Park that have charitable status.
After much discussion with Council staff, local stakeholders and residents, and following
extensive consideration of objections raised, on 15th September 2023 the Sub-Committee voted 4-1 in favour of approving the Council’s recommendation to appoint Courtside Hubs CIC to develop and operate a multi-activity hub in Hillsborough Park; Courtside was the preferred partner as a result of an open tender process conducted in winter 2022.
Work will now get underway on preparing a planning application.
Isobel Wells
Contract Manager, Courtside