Work begins to expand town’s digital media centre
Yorkshire construction company Harris CM is now working on a £1.7m contract that will see a Barnsley office building turned into an innovative workspace to form part of the town’s Digital Media Centre.
Harris CM was appointed by Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council. The refurbishment of the 24,433 sq ft, four storey building, which is in Barnsley town centre on County Way, is due to complete in May 2020.
Known as DMC 02, it will provide eight large offices over three floors, with a ground floor co-working space and a brand new maker space and Internet of Things lab which will aid companies, students and start-ups in their development and progress.
DMC 02 will complement The Digital Media Centre’s existing neighbouring site, DMC 01, which is owned and managed by Barnsley Council and has enjoyed strong and sustained occupancy levels with over 50 companies calling the innovative space home.
Harris CM is working on the project with leading property consultancy, NPS Barnsley, which is providing multidisciplinary design services for the scheme.
Jason Collins, director at Harris CM, said: “We are very pleased to start work on this extensive refurbishment scheme which will create an exceptional range of office space, complete with state-of-the-art amenities and event space.
“Once complete, this project will further raise Barnsley’s profile as an innovative, forward thinking and inspirational place to work, as well as being a valuable asset for the town as a whole.”
Karen Temple, managing director of NPS Barnsley, said: “We are delighted to be working on this innovative scheme which will not only provide a fantastic base for digital and creative businesses to grow and thrive, but also hundreds of jobs to boost the local economy.
“Ensuring Barnsley is an attractive place to live and work is a high priority for us.”
As a complementary part of the £180m town centre wide regeneration, The Glass Works, the DMC buildings are at the heart of a new Digital Campus which will see business and education work more closely together to enable more and better jobs to be realised in the Borough.
The DMC 01’s ability to create a community which drives creative, digital businesses and products has resulted in the need to expand following significant growth in its member businesses over the last three years.
Following the acquisition of the former ‘Core’ building in spring 2019, Barnsley Council has been supported by investment from Sheffield City Region to provide larger office space for Barnsley’s growing businesses looking to scale up, while providing an atmosphere and community that the current 50 plus tenants of the DMC 01 value.
The new DMC 02 will open in summer 2020.
