PARK HILL in Sheffield is accustomed to grand ambition. It was, after all, the first postwar slum clearance scheme in Britain to rehouse a community, street by street, neighbour by neighbour. The “streets in the sky” concept was also a very 1950s innovation. Inspired by the brutal, concrete modernism of the architect Le Corbusier, Park Hill’s 1,000 flats are linked by walkways wide enough for milk-floats, allowing residents to wander the entire estate without ever having to set foot on the dirty streets down below.

Unfortunately, Utopian concepts rarely work and, after some initial success, Park Hill’s residents decided that the complex wasn’t for them. This has left Sheffield with a largely vacant eyesore or architectural gem, depending on your outlook. Either way, Sheffield can’t avoid it, as the estate rears above the city centre on one of its seven hills. Many locals would gladly swing a wrecking ball at it, but since Park Hill became Britain’s largest Grade II* listed building in 1998 demolition is out of the question.

“It certainly polarises opinion, but we love it,” says Lisa Ashurst, a spokesman for the developer of the site, Urban Splash. “Love” is the operative word. Urban Splash was inspired by a piece of graffiti on the 100ft-high bridge that connects its north and south buildings: “I love you will u marry me.” A bit of hope amid the depression, thought the developer, and not a bad marketing tool either. T-shirts emblazoned with the motif, printed by Urban Splash, managed to find their way into the hands of the Sheffield band the Arctic Monkeys. “The wife of their tour manager came to the launch and took a T-shirt home for her husband,” says Ashurst. “The band saw him wearing it and all wanted one.”

The plan, she says, involves remodelling and updating the generously proportioned flats, and creating a public space, including a piazza and gardens, to “connect Park Hill with the city”. Nearly 900 flats will remain, with most for sale and the rest reserved for social renters and a shared-ownership scheme. At the earliest, the first one, two and three-bedroom flats will go on sale next year. www.urbansplash.co.uk 07000 606263

STREETS AHEAD? YOU DECIDE

What will it look like?

The building is listed so there’s not much that can be done to the exterior. Urban Splash wants to “soften” the brutal concrete façade, but the real change will be inside, with the introduction of open-plan living. Most of the ground floor will be set aside for commercial use; an art gallery and dance studio are planned.

How many homes will there be?

The first phase is for 320 flats, if planners give their consent; when finished there will be 874.

How much will it cost?

The entire scheme is estimated at £146 million.

How big is it?

The site covers 32 acres, with the buildings comprising 17 acres.

What about the outside space?

A high street is planned to run through Park Hill with bars, restaurants and communal gardens spilling down the hill towards the station. There will also be allotments, private gardens, a wildflower meadow, bowling green and parterre garden.

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