After securing levelling up funding in 2021, Sheffield City Council are preparing to proceed with plans to turn an empty building into a community hub.
The historic, Grade 2 listed Canada House is to be transformed into a ‘state of the art’ community facility including music teaching and rehearsal rooms, community spaces, a café and a new performance space in the hall.
This comes after the council have approved planning permission and have granted £1.6 million worth of funding for the project, to Harmony Works. The £1.6 million will come out of the £20 million that the council were awarded by the UK Government’s Levelling Up Fund, as they submitted plans to transform the Castlegate area of the city.
Harmony Works, the team behind the project have worked to put the plans together by collaborating with a long list of stakeholders, including the children and young people of Sheffield.
Director of Harmony Works, Emily Pieters, said:
“We’re absolutely delighted to have reached this very important step in our journey. Our planning consent is a testament to the hard work of the Harmony Works partners and team and to the thoughtful and environmentally sensitive approach the design team have taken with this fantastic building. We’re looking forward to making these designs a reality, and for children and young people throughout the region to have a place to call their musical home.”
Cllr Mazher Iqbal, Co-Chair of the Transport, Regeneration and Climate Policy Committee, said:
“We’re so pleased to have been able to work with Harmony Works to secure Levelling Up funding which will create a highly valued resource in the city, and the wider region. As a city known for producing many musical talents, access to music facilities is so important to us. Harmony Works will be an incredible asset to us all, especially younger generations. It is also fantastic to see the impressive Canada House building will soon be restored and inhabited again.”
