Hyde Park flats, in the design phase referred to as Park Hill Part Two, was an extension scheme to the nearby Park Hill development. It compromised two linked deck-access blocks in a raw, brutalist finish, similar to the original Park Hill flats. The main difference from the original are the larger windows on the balcony sides; this was a slightly improved design. Shops were provided in the lower level of the block for the estates centre; and it was provided with four public houses. Construction began in 1962 and it was completed in 1966-67, constructed by the Sheffield direct labour division, the Public Works Department. During construction, large signs declaring "PWD" were fitted to the building. In addition to the tall block (set in steep terrain and of varied height, at most, 17 storeys), a 3-4 storey low-rise block was constructed adjoining it (the first part to be completed).
The floor plan of the basic repeating structure of the Hyde Park flats.
The building featured a repeating design, based largely on the Park Hill design, with a single three-story cross-section consisting of 3 and 4 apartment maisonettes stacked on top of single-floor two apartment flats, linked by wide (3.1m) decks, which were connected to stairs and lifts at intervals. Some of the lifts featured full-height windows, allowing a panoramic view of the estate. The development provided 1,322 dwellings and, sitting at a picturesque hill-crest, dominated the Sheffield landscape. The same design was also repeated (again with minor improvements), at the Kelvin flats development, completed by 1970.
The early years of life on the estate was largely uneventful. There were certain issues-amongst them the infestation of ants in certain sections, particularly in the cavity walls in which sand had been used as a sound-insulating medium. In the late 1970's issues began to slowly develop. Media hysteria, which singled out the estate, reported on "mugging sites" around the development, even as no muggings had taken place there. This was reported in Christopher W. Bacon's doctorate thesis from 1982, Streets-in-the-sky: The Rise and Fall of the Modern Architectural Urban Utopia. As the 1980's came along, the disintegration of the social structure of society affected the estate severely. A part of the blocks were used to house student athletes after their general emptying in 1988-89; a short section (8 storeys) was enclosed and refurbished, and remains to this day, while the remainder was demolished around 1993-94.