Trio of tenants take space in renovated old mill building
Sustainable property developer Citu has signed three new tenants for its Little Kelham development in Sheffield’s Kelham Island district.
Three other units are under offer and only one unit now remains available in the former mill building.
Little Kelham is home to several old metalworks buildings, including the 19th century Eagle Works.
This five-storey former mill has been renovated by Citu, retaining the original large industrial form window architecture, timber beams, exposed brickwork and wrought iron columns.
Sheffield-based IT and digital transformation specialist Simoda has taken the first floor 2,010 sq ft space on a five-year lease.
Simoda managing director, Daniel Bumby, said: “The location was key as we want to be able to attract people to come and work here as we expand.
“We also loved the building’s heritage and the industrial features of the offices that have been retained – it is something really special.”
His new neighbour is Steve Miccoli who is putting the finishing touches on his 70-cover restaurant and cocktail bar Isabellas, in the adjacent 1,555 sq ft two-storey Gatehouse building that originally formed the entrance to the steelworks.
Miccoli said: “This is such a buzzing, up and coming part of Sheffield and we wanted to be part of it.
“It has a great vibe and there’s a real mix of people, from young professionals and students to families with young children moving into the area. It’s a very exciting time for us.”
The third of the new tenants is The Floristry School, which is occupying 1,157 sq ft on the ground floor of Eagle Works. It offers accredited courses from The Sheffield College, as well as its own courses, to train professional florists.
These businesses join existing tenants – Uber Agency, Pendo and Stew and Oyster – with another three tenants to be announced soon.
A last remaining unit, The Engine Room, offers 1,410 sq ft of space on the first floor of Eagle Works.
The Little Kelham scheme comes with 159 kilowatts of solar panels and biomass heating to the existing buildings, which can be controlled by the office tenants via an app.
Electricity for the building is powered from 100% renewable sources, and the central location encourages tenants to travel on foot or public transport.
Chris Thompson, managing director of Citu, said: “Little Kelham is all about creating a dynamic mixed-use urban neighbourhood.
“Part of this is the modern housing that we’ve created, but as important is the commercial and leisure space that sits alongside this and provides activity and amenity to the place.
“It’s a great honour to be able to bring these old buildings back into such vibrant use, but it’s the mix of occupiers that we have at Little Kelham that really makes this a great place.”
Lettings agent Tom Shelton at Crosthwaite Commercial added: “Kelham Island has seen a huge amount of regeneration in the last ten years, and it’s now one of the most sought-after areas to locate a business in Sheffield.
“Each space within Little Kelham is totally unique and the mix of tenants it is attracting is testament to its appeal.”
Harry Dunhill, at joint agents Fox Lloyd Jones, said: “The level of recent activity at Little Kelham is credit to the environment that Citu have created at Kelham Island, attracting quality tenants in uncertain times.”
