Background

Fox Valley Retail Park is a major regeneration project on a former industrial site in Stocksbridge, north Sheffield. The development followed the demolition of legacy buildings, including Tata garages, Outokumpu offices and a Tata warehouse, alongside a year long programme of remediation works.

The scheme delivers a new retail and commercial destination comprising outlet shops and parking for approximately 600 vehicles, designed to reflect and respect the area’s industrial heritage while providing long term economic benefit for the local community.

The challenge

The redevelopment of the former steelworks site presented several challenges:

  • Maximising land use on a constrained, remediated brownfield site
  • Accommodating large areas of car parking without compromising circulation or safety
  • Achieving retained height efficiently to unlock developable space
  • Delivering a solution that was robust, cost effective and visually appropriate for a prominent retail destination

A retaining wall solution was required that could support level changes across the site while optimising the available footprint for parking and retail use.

The solution

Marshalls supplied the Redi Rock™ modular retaining wall system, specified to achieve the required retained heights without compromising structural performance or usable space.

Designed by Pell Frischmann, the Redi Rock™ walls were selected due to their:

  • Ability to achieve height efficiently using large modular concrete blocks
  • Rapid installation, supporting programme certainty
  • Natural stone appearance, complementing the site’s industrial character
  • Reduced overall project cost compared with alternative retaining solutions

The modular system enabled land levels to be managed effectively, ensuring the maximum area possible was made available for customer parking.

The outcome

The use of Redi Rock™ retaining walls played a key role in unlocking the Fox Valley site and delivering a high quality retail environment.

  • Optimised land use for 600 space car park
  • Efficient installation on a complex remediated site
  • Visually sympathetic retaining structures
  • Successful transformation of a former steelworks into a vibrant retail destination

David Goddard, Senior Project Manager at Henry Boot, commented:

“Stocksbridge has been a complex project involving the remediation and complete redevelopment of a former steelworks. It has successfully transformed the north Sheffield site into a vibrant shopping centre, creating around 900 jobs for the local community.”

Since opening, Fox Valley has also hosted high profile events, including use as part of the 2017 Tour de Yorkshire, underscoring its role as a community and regional destination.