Contractor appointed on £5.5m NUM Building redevelopment
A CONTRACTOR has been appointed to the £5.5m redevelopment of the former National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) Building in Sheffield city centre.
Conroy Brook has been hired by Quest Property, a Barnsley based, family owned property company which have secured the long-term lease of the former NUM headquarters and the adjacent carpark.
Quest Property are the developers behind the Gateway Plaza scheme in Barnsley, a project that has reignited the office and living offer in the heart of the town.
The former NUM headquarters is a landmark in city but has stood empty since the NUM vacated it in the mid 80s. Quest Property endeavours to give it a new lease of life and convert it into office and leisure space. The building’s £5.5m renovation is being funded by a collaboration between CBRE, the Sheffield City Region JESSICA Fund and Sheffield City Council’s Growing Places Fund.
The site has been vacant for the last 25 years and a number of attempts have been made to bring the site to the market either as a new build development or a comprehensive refurbishment, without success. Redevelopment was previously constrained by a short lease period which proved a restriction to funding however Quest Property has agreed a 250-year lease with the NUM.
The announcement that Conroy Brook has been appointed comes soon after accountancy firm Grant Thornton signalled its commitment to the scheme. One hundred and 20 staff will be relocated from its Broadfield Court offices to the former NUM Building and will take over all of the commercial space at the building on Holly Street.
Pitcher and Piano, owned by Marston’s, has also confirmed that it will occupy one of the three ground-floor restaurant units.
Matthew Stephens, development director at Quest Property, said: “Conroy Brook are a highly regarded company that are well known for their building experience and outstanding developments of the highest quality. Quest Property is delighted to be teaming up with this award-winning company to deliver such prominent development in the centre of Sheffield.”
Richard Conroy, chief executive at Conroy Brook, said: “It is fantastic news that Conroy Brook has been asked to work with Quest Property to bring the redevelopment of the NUM Building forward. We are committed to quality design and aesthetics and are very much looking forward to bringing the NUM Building back into use.”
Knight Frank (Sheffield) is acting on behalf of Quest Property for the office element. JLL acted for Quest Property on the leisure element of the scheme.
Work is now underway and is expected to be completed at the start of 2017.
