45,000 sq ft of office space proposed for city centre

Plans are being considered for a 10-storey office development in Sheffield city centre, proposed to help tackle the “all-time-low” of Grade A office space availability in this location.

Developer Grantside has applied to construct the net zero building, called CN Tower, on the corner of Charles Street and Norfolk Street.

CN Tower is designed to provide around 45,000 sq ft of Grade A office space capable of accommodating up to 450 employees.

If it is approved, the property would also feature retail and other ancillary uses on ground and lower-ground floors.

In a report to Sheffield City Council’s Cabinet earlier this year, council officers confirmed that only 17,000 sq ft of Grade A office space was available at the time, whilst the typical average amount of space let in the city centre each year amounts to 118,000 sq ft.

Grantside CEO, Steve Davis, said: “According to Sheffield City Council there is a ‘chronic shortage’ of high-quality, Grade A office space in the city centre.

“This is hugely detrimental to Sheffield’s future economic growth both in the short term and the long-term, as potential occupiers may be forced to look elsewhere.

“Sheffield, like everywhere, has been hard hit by the pandemic and you only need to look at the loss of some big anchor tenants like John Lewis and Debenhams, to see the impact of having little to no activity in the city centre.

“Bringing office workers, and businesses, back into the heart of the city, in much-needed high-quality Grade A office space, has to be a key component in Sheffield’s recovery post-Covid.

“Since we announced our plans for CN Tower, we have received significant interest from potential occupiers looking to upgrade, grow an existing presence in Sheffield or looking at establishing a new base.

“It’s vitally important for the future economic health of Sheffield that this demand can not only be satisfied speedily, but also that the city can offer a variety of options over the coming years as the economy recovers from the pandemic.”

Elsewhere in the city Grantside has launched its new Hive Central concept proposals at Kelham Island, a curated mix of living, working and leisure space.