World class development set to create up to 5,600 jobs
Sheffield City Council and Scarborough Group International (SGI) have struck a development agreement to transform Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park into a community for the health, wellbeing, sport and activity sectors.
Its the latest commitment from the developers to support the city’s economic growth, with the massive project is intended to create up to 5,600 high-value jobs.
It is already home to significant sporting, education and research institutions, including the English Institute for Sport Sheffield, Sheffield Hallam University’s Advanced Wellbeing Research Centre and National Centre of Excellence for Food Engineering, iceSheffield, Fly DSA Arena, UTC Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park and Oasis Academy Don Valley.
By the end of the year the developer intends to submit a planning application for the first phase of the scheme, which will feature a 40,000 sq ft Enterprise Centre to support fledgling businesses in the health, wellbeing, sport and activity sectors.
Work has also started on the Legacy Community Stadium, which will provide 23,000 sq ft of flexible business space, a professional-quality artificial grass pitch and a covered stadium that will eventually have capacity for up to 3,900 spectators.
In mid-January 2021, a range of partners involved with the project welcomed a series of other milestones that will take the development a step closer to achieving its future vision.
This included the news that Canon Medical Systems will create a world-class research hub for product development that promises to transform the speed and accuracy of diagnostics for the NHS and healthcare industry.
Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust will also bring forward the development of a ground-breaking National Centre for Child Health Technology, which will have a major impact on child health and the NHS across the country.
Mark Jackson, development director at SGI, said: “Having been selected as Preferred Developer in 2019 we’re delighted to formalise arrangements with the council that will facilitate the delivery of the future phases of Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park, building on the incredible foundations put in place by the Legacy Park Limited team and its stakeholders.
“The Community Stadium is just the start of what Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park will have to offer.
“Our vision is to create a vibrant community for like-minded businesses, ranging from local start-ups to major global inward investment and, in turn, create thousands of high-quality jobs and stimulate economic growth.”
Councillor Bob Johnson, leader of Sheffield City Council, said: “The Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park is a well-established hub for health and wellbeing, sport and education and cutting-edge research that will help to transform healthcare nationally, and this next phase of the development is extremely exciting for Sheffield.
“We are pleased to be working with Scarborough Group to bring substantial investment from the private sector to further advance this, bringing many benefits to the people of Sheffield, creating jobs and supporting our businesses.
“As the UK’s fourth-largest city with an internationally recognised reputation for our abundance of green spaces, sporting history and innovative thinking, we are well placed to welcome this new development and investors to the city.
“I look forward to working with all of our partners to deliver further phases of this trailblazing Park over the coming years.”
The Community Stadium is expected to be completed by quarter one 2022.
Scarborough Group’s Simon McCabe will be joining a host of business and policy leaders at Invest North on 24 March as we look to set the agenda for what comes next for the North.
McCabe will join Tom Bloxham, chairman and founder of Urban Splash alongside Professor Cathy Parker, chair of the Institute of Place Management, Jo Lappin, chief executive of Cumbira LEP and Ken Norbury , UK and Europe built environment managing director of Mott MacDonald to look at what Covid means for the future of placemaking and urban development.
To find out more about the conference and to book your ticket to this not to be missed one day event click here.
