Knight Frank to switch on business to Digital Campus

Knight Frank will offer SMEs in the niche digital industries
sector the chance to take residence in a brand new business
district in Sheffield.

The Sheffield Digital Campus is a major regeneration project
within Sheffield by Valad Property Group plc and GMI Holdings.

Aimed at high technology businesses in knowledge, creative and
digital industry sectors, the development, backed by Creative
Sheffield, will create a high quality environment specifically
targeting the needs of these companies.

In a prime central location, the development is adjacent to both
the train and bus stations and Sheffield Hallam University's
city campus and minutes away from the city centre and its proposed
new £500m retail quarter.

Work has started on Phase One – two buildings are under
construction both of which are approximately 50,000 sq ft and will
be ready for occupation in Autumn 2008. One is available to let as
Grade A speculative office space, the other is Electric Works, the
serviced office centre of 65,000 sq ft dedicated to providing
accommodation for growing digital, creative and media
businesses.

A further two 50,000 – 60,000 sq ft offices are planned for the
remainder of Phase 1 and will follow over the next three to four
years.

In addition to Phase One, 260,000 sq ft of Grade A office space
will be provided on two additional prominent sites in the Sheaf
Valley resulting in a total development of over 500,000 sq ft of
new commercial office space over the next eight to 10 years.

Across the region the digital industries sector employs in
excess of 123,000 employees in more than 13,000 businesses – adding
a staggering £5.21bn gross value added to the region. And the
companies within the sector are growing all the time.

Tim Bottrill, agency and development partner at Knight Frank in
Sheffield said: “The unique nature of Sheffield Digital Campus
– from its careful master planning to provide an excellent working
environment, through to integrated knowledge hubs designed to spark
collaboration between companies on the site – will help every
business, from start-up to established world beater, grow and
develop.

“The site has capacity for up to 600,000 square feet of
modern and scalable office accommodation across a wide range of
floorplates and building layouts.”

All the buildings at Sheffield Digital Campus will have high
capacity telecommunications provision, secure power supplies and
highly flexible floorplates designed to allow Sheffield Digital
Campus to accommodate growing businesses.

Features on the campus, which lies between the cultural and
business quarters of the city within sight of 900 luxury apartments
by Urban Splash, include secure basement parking and impressive
reception areas.

David Wells from Valad Property Group said: “This
development will significantly benefit Sheffield's growing
network of creative, media, e-commerce and knowledge-based
companies and add to the Sheaf Valley as an area following
development of the excellent realm outside the station.”

Joint agents for the Sheffield Digital Campus are LSH.