It’s a street that dates back decades into Sheffield’s fantastic history, being a place with unique, boutique shops, independent cafes and trend setting fashion outlets, and now you have the chance to shape the future of Chapel Walk.
Nestled between the stunning social and retail hub of Fargate and Sheffield’s theatre district, Chapel Walk has undergone a £million transformation project with several shop fronts and interiors being comprehensively refurbished and restored back to how they would have been seen when they first opened.
As part of the third round of ReNew funding, Sheffield City Council is offering grants of up to £10,000 to new occupiers – enough to fully complete the fit-out of one of the vacant units at ground and first floor level in this ever-popular thoroughfare - but time is running out for you to apply.
Over the course of the previous two rounds of ReNew funding, more than £183,000 has been given to starter businesses across Chapel Walk, Fargate and Orchard Square.
I applied for a grant as part of the second round of Sheffield City Council’s ReNew funding and I was delighted when I was told I’d been successful. The money has allowed us to expand the business and move into very prominent new premises on Fargate, something we wouldn’t have been able to do without the help from the City Council.
We have always had a presence in the city centre when we were part of the Boots store on High Street but to have the chance to become a shop of our very own was something we couldn’t turn down, we’ve been open a few weeks now and the response we have had from both our loyal and new customers has been fantastic.
David Blenkinsop, owner of Seven Hills Optical
Seven Hills Optical is one of several business who have been able to move into their own units with the money being used to help with the fitout, turning previously empty shops into thriving businesses once again.
Chapel Walk has always been a destination where you could find something unique, something a bit different from your big high street names and that’s one of the reasons why it has been so popular in the past. The fantastic transformation that has taken place over the past few months will return the thoroughfare to those glorious former days and, once again, make Chapel Walk a must-visit destination.
Its location is perfect, being between two of the most popular areas in the city centre of Fargate and the world-famous Crucible Theatre and I can’t wait to see it vibrant, busy and bustling with shoppers. This third round of ReNew funding is the perfect for business owners to take that next step and be part of the area for many years to come and I would urge anyone who is interested to apply as quickly as possible so they don’t miss out.
Cllr Ben Miskell, Chair of the Transport, Regeneration and Climate Policy Committee at Sheffield City Council
Full details of the scheme and eligibility criteria are available on the Sheffield City Council website.
If you’re interested in applying, you must first request an expression of interest form from renewsheffield@sheffield.gov.uk. These must be submitted by midnight on Thursday 29th May 2025.
Expressions of interest will be evaluated to determine which have the greatest potential to contribute to the future vision of Chapel Walk. These projects will then be asked to complete and submit a full application by midnight on Monday 30th June 2025.