Sheffield authorities installed barriers on South Street in April 2026 to address persistent anti-social behaviour at a hillside viewpoint overlooking the city's amphitheatre. The measure aimed to prevent car-based drug use, littering and crowds that had plagued the area, particularly after dark and throughout summer months.

Local residents now argue the closure has merely relocated the problem to adjacent streets and homes rather than resolving it, with reports of drug dealing and cannabis use continuing in nearby Barnes Court. Whilst the council presents the barrier as having created a calm pocket park and notes ongoing efforts with police and residents, critics contend the intervention may have inadvertently concentrated harmful activity closer to residential areas, raising doubts about its overall effectiveness.