Photo: Press
A local landmark record store in Sheffield, and favourite of the likes of Arctic Monkeys and Pulp, is set to close down after the council agreed to demolish it.
Last year, residents began to rally against a planning application from Sheffield City Council to demolish buildings on the popular Devonshire Street of the South Yorkshire city - replacing them with apartments, cafes restaurants and closing down local favourite hotspots, record store Rare and Racy and vintage clothes emporium, Syd&Mallory.
Last year, Arctic Monkeys' drummer Matt Helders Tweeted:
You can't let em knock down these shops! Classic, independent businesses in sheffield. http://t.co/ADutMGJOQJ
— Matt Helders (@matthelders) October 10, 2014
Pulp frontman and local icon Jarvis Cocker also shared his views on losing this 'national treasure'.
"They say if the ravens ever leave the Tower of London then the whole place will collapse," wrote Cocker. "I kind of feel if Rare & Racy leave Devonshire Green then a special part of Sheffield will collapse.”
He added that he remembered being “entranced by the place when I first visited it on a shopping trip with my mum when I was a kid. I’m absolutely amazed they’ve managed to keep the spirit of the place alive throughout all the intervening years ... I’ve travelled all over the world and I’ve never encountered a place like it – and I’ve been in a lot of record shops.
"Nowhere have I heard music like they play in Rare & Racy. Never mind it being a local treasure: it’s a global treasure.”
Now however, Sheffield City Council has voted in favour of destroying the record store - with property agents Coda Planning arguing that there are long-term structural problems with the buildings, and that local buildings need replacing and enhancing to keep “to the urban village feel of the area”.
Local snooker hero Steve Davis told The Guardian: “I’ve been visiting Rare & Racy ever since I stumbled upon it back in the 90s. It’s such an uplifting place, a real treasure trove of amazing music, books, magazines and art.
“The area around the Crucible has gone through a superb transformation – but it’s also great to have a bit of history to visit when you come to a city, and if this row of shops bites the dust a little bit of the character of Sheffield will die. It’s one of the few areas of the city centre that still retains a bit of original charm."
Labour councillor Leigh Bramall added: “We are in an extremely difficult situation that is frustrating for the council, because although technically we make the decision on planning applications, our hands are tied by the stringent planning laws set out by the government.
“If we did not follow these laws, we would be putting the council under a big risk of being taken to an appeal by the developer ... and [potentially] facing huge legal bills. What we need to see is the council being given the powers to make the decisions to shape the future of our high streets, so we can make these decisions locally, listening to the views of local people rather than having to follow arbitrary rules made up by bureaucrats in Whitehall.”
Last year at the time of the proposal, Drenge, who are from Derbyshire but found their feet as a band playing Sheffield's vibrant music scene, added their support with a post on their website titled 'STOP KNOCKING DOWN OUR CITY':
"Sorry to make another post about planning permission in Sheffield but I feel it’s a necessary one.
"There’s a proposal to demolish 162-170 of Devonshire St. This affects some of the area above Devonshire Green. The bloodthirsty council clearly can’t get enough of the apartments and restaurants and cafés clamouring for space in the city centre. What with the proposal to demolish a large proportion of the city’s Cultural Industries Quarter, it’s as if Sheffield’s arts and design heritage is of no interest in the face of more Costas, Gregg’s and Subways.
"162-170 houses a number of independent businesses, two of which make Sheffield the city it is today. Rare and Racy is a second hand book and music shop that smells of burning incense and always plays free jazz whenever it’s open. It’s a hugely important place, not just to me but to anyone else who has been introduced to a novel or a record, not through recommendation, but through complete fluke. It’s presence in the city is silent and composed but vital and enriching all the same.
"Syd&Mallory’s is an independent clothes shop that specialises in handmade and vintage clothes. They’re responsible for the wonderful outfits we both wore at Reading Festival this year. It’s the third time they’ve changed premises in the 8 years I’ve been aware of them and when I popped my head in recently it seemed that - right next to R&R they’d found somewhere to settle (with a stunning shop front).
"I’m only raising this as a matter of interest for Sheffield folk but if you have any connection to these premises please make a statement on this City Council forum and alert others who may be interested."
Visit the application here to make your comments.
