from empty factories to former lunatic asylums and the hidden bits of our cities. From the industrialisation of smog fuelled Sheffield to the 1970s, the era of Thatcherism. Northerns towns over my 45 years (25 of them being politically active), I have seen them become ghost towns.

Is it right in the current down turn multi nationals are being bailed out with public funding from regional developmental agents such as here in Sheffield -Yorkshire Forward where public cash is being given to them then used to bail out failed projects, that is in turn seeing the slow privatisation of our northern towns and it us the tax payers paying for this, underclassrising.net is a project based around urban/bucolic exploration, it means going into the hidden and forbidden side of Sheffield, using photography and research to expose a side of capitalism we often fail to notice. I began with folly of foolishness that is City Lofts tower, next week Wednesday 14th October 2009 a report goes to the council to propose the spending of £16.73m to rescue the ongoing saga of Sheffield's Markets.

The Moor in Sheffield could be getting a new indoor market and eight new shops despite the tough economic climate. Revised plans have been resubmitted for the Moor Sheffield project in a bid to get the area's redevelopment rolling. According to plans, the new building for Sheffield Markets would have 200 stalls.

A pile of rubble has been sitting patiently on the side of The Moor since demolition of the old shops took place around summer 2007/8/9. To older generations the rubble might be reminiscent of how the street looked after it was badly damaged in the blitz during World War Two, it needs to be asked was there a need for such a wholesale demolition of buildings built of white Portland stone, and the planned further demolition of other buildings needs to questioned. As an empty Chesham House stands ideal following failed projects and planning applications along with countless other empties
along the Moor up and around Pinstone Street.

Changes to the plans:

Architects Leslie Jones designed the plans which are modelled on modern European markets. John Wilkinson is Project Developer for the proposed scheme. He says that the plans have had to be reviewed to make them viable in the current market in which similar projects have been shelved indefinitely, following the demolition of The Sheaf Markets over 10 years ago the Castle Markets so named as Sheffield Castle remains lay under them, only in Sheffield the ruin of our past can be hidden under such an ugly monolithic structure that has become very much out dated needs to demolished and the land given over for a public park with the exposed Sheffield Castle, the need for new Markets has been an ongoing saga for to long.

The longest running unresolved development issue.

"We're in very difficult times at the moment - major developments are very hard to progress but we've managed to push this one forward." However there have been major changes to the planning application since initial approval was given”:

The main change is the omission of the student accommodation. In the current market is there a demand for it? We reviewed the original plans and decided to proceed without but the rest of the development is pretty much the same as before.

Another attempt is to be made to break the deadlock in the saga of the proposed markets hall for The Moor. The council itself is preparing to pay for the new building, borrowing up to £16.73m, instead of waiting to lease it from a property company, which remains nervous in the recession. It's a bold step, with risks, but it is designed to crack the longest running unresolved development issue in the city centre, once more public cash is been used to bail out a private company we need only look up the moor to tfolly of foolishness that is City Lofts tower where MILLIONS of pounds of Government money (that's tax payers cash to me and you) is being used to bail out the developer of Sheffield's troubled City Lofts tower to ensure the scheme is completed, it is now know that, Regional development agency Yorkshire Forward decided to provide the funding - to prevent the 32-storey development from being left as an unfinished concrete skeleton towering into the skyline.

For a full refurbished buildings and preservation conservation of our city's heritage

Yet even if the latest strategy succeeds, it is estimated that the new markets will not be open before the spring of 2012. Doing nothing is not an option, though, says a report to the council's cabinet. The existing markets at Castlegate are "obsolete" and need more than £10m spending immediately on the fabric. In addition a modern and vibrant markets hall gives access to inexpensive, good quality fresh food, £16.73m of tax payers cash is been planned to bail out a private company RREEF, who have been sold part of our city centre have contained to fail and bring forward there plans for The Moor instead of bailing them out such an important project as the Markets should we agree be taken over by The council along with the whole project of The Moor, instead of further demolition plans should be made for a full refurbished buildings.

After many years spent pondering relocation to a new complex, the option of The Moor, opposite Atkinsons department store, suffered a setback it was decided to redraw the scheme without student flats on top in a reflection of the economic climate. The council is working with property company RREEF, formerly Deutsche Bank Property Management, which has a long lease on much of the land around the precinct.

RREEF remains committed to the markets and has produced a deliverable scheme, says the council report. But instead of RREEF building the whole block, including eight big shops facing the precinct, and then renting the markets to the council on a 35-lease, the council itself is set to raise the money for the markets and ask RREEF to construct them to its specification.

With this guarantee, it is hoped RREEF will press ahead with the eight shops, which it has been hesitating over, insisting that 35% of the space is pre-let before starting construction. It is hoped that the package will finally produce the 200 new stalls – 116 for fresh food – the city, and especially the market traders, have been waiting for for many years. A report to the council's cabinet on Wednesday 14th October 2009 spells out all the financial implications, including a series of risks, none of which is judged to be sufficiently major.

That £2.9m grant of pubic cash for the revamp of the lower section of The Moor.

One of the key issues is finalising the design of the new building, which means the full cost of the development cannot yet be known. One of the potential benefits for the council is that it would own the markets and receive the rents. However, there are also risks if the project is delayed much longer, notably the possibility that regional development agency Yorkshire Forward will withdraw a £2.9m grant of public cash for the revamp of the lower section of The Moor, which has already started. The grant is tied to the new markets, is it not time that pubic cash stopped been given to people like RREEF, formerly Deutsche Bank Property Management and Lofts' backer, nationalised German bank Hypo Real Estate, it is alleged that 111 Matilda Street along with the land has been sold to Sainsburys, that a deal has been done regards Tesco taking over there store on The Moor, up the road is Somerfields bought out by The Co-Op will become one of their stores when the Sevenstone's project now on hold, where a shopping centre the size of Meadowhell is planned with of course you have guessed more grants from Yorkshire Forward have been agreed the people behind Sevenstone are  http://www.hammerson.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=133289&p=prop-pd-Sevenstone .

The artist's impressions of the new indoor market building is reminiscent of the Winter Garden. John Rawlinson explains:

"We're trying to develop a sustainable, high quality scheme. There's a half-domed entrance largely in glass and wood - we're trying to get a lot of light and a lot of natural materials into the development." A decision on the application is expected in early November 2009. Depending on approval and funding, the developers would like to get on site in Spring 2010 but they state that it is not possible to give a cost at this stage.

In the beginning.

The Moor was - as its namesake suggests - a swampy moorland between Sheffield and Little Sheffield to the south. It became a main thoroughfare into Sheffield - an ordinary street with shops, buses, cars and trams - but was badly damaged during the blitz in World War Two. The street was pedestrianised in the early 1980s and market stalls were introduced shortly afterwards. They proved very popular but the area became tatty and was refurbished in the late 1990s. The area now called The Moor stretches from Moorhead by the Peace Gardens in the north, to Moorfoot by the large, red Civil Service building in the south.

That Civil Service building is due to relocate to Number One St Paul's, part of the Heart of the City project funded with cash from Yorkshire Forward, Sheffield City Council have agreed to buy and pay for the demolition for the Red Civil Service building with more grants from you guessed, yes Yorkshire Forward. The privatisation of Sheffield is being paid for by us the tax payers, while some of the changes to Sheffield have improved the city centre and yes there is a need for the city to change and move on, but it should be asked why are we funding multi nationals to bring such projects forward? It also needs to be asked is there a need for the demolition of The Moor?

Along with the wholesale demolition of Pinstone Street and surrounding area to make way for the project, is something it not being told to us the public, it is us that are paying for the loss of our heritage and history, such as Leah's Yard. Just what is wrong with the current Cole Brothers, as a form of architecture it works and following the refurbished Barkers Pool it has only shown it needs some slight refurbishment. All right, what Blunkett named as a carbuncle, the red framed building that replaced the old Gaumont Cinema is to be demolished to make way for another carbuncle, it is a little too late as we lost a grand old lady and have been left with this for over 20 years. Is not time we look at what we have got and celebrate them by their further use?

While looking towards how we could make the city centre work as it stands instead of building more carbuncles such as Sevenstone, the cost of £16.73m for the new Markets, is it a price worth paying? It should be part of a wider agreement where the land and buildings sold to RREEF are given back to the public.