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What’s happening to Sheffield’s historic Cannon Brewery?

22 July 2026 By Jessica Mason

The Cannon Brewery, based in Neepsend in Sheffield, has had planning approved to be turned into a new neighbourhood. db looks at the details.

The Cannon Brewery, based in Neepsend in Sheffield has had planning approved to be turned into a new neighbourhood.

The 4.2-acre brownfield site, which is also home to where Stones Bitter was brewed for many years, will be turned into a £150–£200 million mixed-use development by the developers Capital&Centric.

An historic landmark

The historic industrial landmark has been sitting completely derelict for more than 25 years and has now secured official planning permission to transform the site and its buildings into an urban community

The production site, which began as the Neepsend Brewery in 1838, originally operated by independent brewers Shepherd, Green & Hatfield. Then, in 1868, brewer William Stones bought the lease and renamed it the Cannon Brewery.

In 1948, the site began brewing Stones Bitter which, by the nineties had grown in popularity and reached national acclaim in 1992 when it was named the UK’s bestselling bitter.

Restoration of symbolic brew house and water tower

Sadly, following corporate acquisitions by Bass and later Interbrew, brewing on the site ceased in 1999, leaving the brewery buildings abandoned and the derelict site fell into disrepair. The grain store was demolished after being deemed unsafe and yet the brewhouse and water tower were ripe for restoration.

Now, with plans approved for 500 new homes, businesses, cafés, bars and public green spaces, the brewery site is being readied for building work to take place.

According to the developers, the first stage of the project will see 240 new apartments built before the full 500 are completed. Alongside the housing, the scheme will also play host to small businesses, artists and makers, with around 15,000 sq ft of commercial space planned for the development project.

Keeping the character

Capital&Centric has said that the aim is to create a place where people can not only live, but also work and socialise, while still keeping the character of the historic brewery site.

Residents living on site, buying into any of the new properties, will have access to shared facilities including a gym, co-working spaces, a residents’ lounge and a private cinema. Plus, the site also recently welcomed Sheffield’s first indoor padel club Club de Padel.

Capital&Centric joint managing director John Moffat said: “This place has been part of Sheffield’s story for generations and we are excited and proud to give it a new lease of life. We are creating a new neighbourhood in one of Sheffield’s fastest-growing districts whilst celebrating heritage and history with hundreds of new homes, green public spaces, vibrant workspace and somewhere people can live, work and socialise.”

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