Plans to convert a former office building in Sheffield into a new hub for Yorkshire Ambulance Service (YAS) have been approved.
Sheffield City Council granted planning permission on 17th August for the change of use of 1 Amberley Street in Attercliffe.
The new hub will serve as a central base for ambulance service staff and operational teams currently working from separate locations across the city.
The application covers the conversion of the existing Webhelp office building from office use to an ambulance hub.
The planning description classifies the proposed use as Sui Generis, meaning the development does not fall into any standard, predefined category (such as standard residential, retail, or industrial) and is treated entirely as unique.
The scheme has been designed by Stem Architects, which is advising YAS on the project.
The existing building dates from the mid-1990s and was previously occupied by business services outsourcer Webhelp.
Rather than a new-build facility, the project will repurpose the existing office building and adapt its internal accommodation for ambulance service operations.
The building provides around 77,330 sqft of accommodation, while the wider site extends to around 4.35 acres.
The site also includes extensive hardstanding and parking, making it suitable for the operational requirements of an ambulance service.
The new hub will include staff changing facilities, relaxation and refreshment areas, management offices, training facilities, a clinical hub and meeting rooms.
It will also provide garage facilities for ambulance vehicle preparation, alongside storage for stock, equipment and cleaning materials.
Consolidating Sheffield ambulance services
YAS currently operates three ambulance stations in Sheffield at Batemoor, Longley and Middlewood, alongside separate workshop facilities elsewhere in the city.
Planning documents state that the existing ambulance stations require expansion to meet the future requirements of the service, while the existing workshop provision requires modernisation to comply with updated regulations.
The Amberley Street scheme is intended to consolidate a number of functions at a single site.
The new hub will provide a base for A&E staff currently operating from the existing stations, as well as the A&E operations leadership team, which is currently based separately.
Patient transfer services and academy staff responsible for delivering training will also move to the site.
The proposals do not involve an increase in the number of ambulance resources serving Sheffield.
Instead, the consolidation is intended to bring teams and operational functions together, with the planning documents identifying potential benefits including improved scheduling and vehicle availability.
The existing ambulance stations should therefore not be characterised simply as being replaced by the new hub, with the scheme focused on consolidating staff and functions rather than creating additional ambulance capacity.
Reusing existing office space
The project will repurpose an existing steel-framed office building rather than involve the construction of a new healthcare facility.
The building occupies a prominent site in Attercliffe and benefits from access to buses A6178 and A6102, as well as being around 1.2 miles from junction 34 of the M1.
The site's existing parking provision includes around 300 spaces, including accessible spaces, alongside substantial areas of hardstanding.
The planning application therefore represents a change of use and internal adaptation of an existing commercial property to meet the operational requirements of YAS.
