Latest planning consent secured to progress £300m mixed use development

Sheffield City Council has granted full planning permission for a 470-space, nine-storey car park with ancillary facilities in the first phase of the new West Bar mixed use development in the city centre.

It follows consent granted in August for a 100,000 sq ft Grade A office building with supporting retail and leisure space, and 368 build to rent residential apartments as part of the first £150m phase of development.

Funding is already secured through Legal & General in the largest single private sector investment deal Sheffield has seen to date.

It brings plans a step closer for the future regeneration of the seven-acre strategic site which has potential to deliver considerable economic benefits to the city, creating around 6,000 to 8,000 new jobs as well as supporting Sheffield’s major housing needs.

Scheme developer, Urbo (West Bar) Ltd, a joint venture between Urbo Regeneration and Peveril Securities (the development arm of the Bowmer and Kirkland Group) ultimately plans to deliver a £300m scheme comprising around one million sq ft of mixed-use space with considerable public realm.

Planning advice for the application and surrounding West Bar development has been provided by Asteer Planning.

The car park has been designed by architects Stripe Consulting, who specialise in designing and engineering car park designs across the UK, working alongside landscape architects Planit.

The car park will provide parking for existing users of the surface car park areas which are currently present on the site alongside the future occupiers and visitors to the West Bar scheme.

In addition to traditional parking requirements the proposal incorporates space for cycle parking, electric vehicle charging and low emission vehicle spaces, with capacity to increase such space in-line with future requirements.

Peter Swallow, managing director at Urbo, said: “We are delighted to maintain momentum with this planning consent for the multi-storey car park which we intend to build in line with the delivery of the phase one office building and build to rent apartments.

“Our vision for West Bar is to deliver a vibrant and sustainable new quarter for the centre of Sheffield and we are excited to be able to start construction next year.

“We have worked closely with stakeholders for many years to bring forward this important regeneration scheme that can majorly support the city’s current and future housing, jobs and regeneration needs.”

Phase one at West Bar includes No 1 West Bar Square, a 100,000 sq ft office building with ground floor retail and leisure space.

Also in phase one, Soho Yard offers 368 residential apartments within two buildings situated around a landscaped space and gardens with access via Plum Lane.

The properties will be delivered and operated by Legal & General as part of its ‘Build to Rent – Homes for Life’ portfolio.

On completion of the entire project, West Bar will provide approximately one acre of public realm and green space extending the council’s “grey to green” and SUDS transformation.

The first phase at West Bar will also provide nearly 300 cycle storage spaces and connectivity into the surrounding walking and cycling routes as part of a push for multi-modal travel.

Phase two plans for West Bar includes a second Legal & General-funded, 100,000 sq ft office building, with further phases ultimately providing one million sq ft of mixed-use accommodation, of which over 500,000 sq ft will be Grade A office space offering the largest floor plates in Sheffield city centre.

West Bar has a prominent position on the Inner Ring Road between the Kelham Island district and Sheffield’s Cathedral and Castlegate Quarters.

The project team includes Stripe Consulting, 5plus architects, Mott MacDonald, Gardiner & Theobold, Asteer Planning and Planit.ie.

BNP Paribas Real Estate is marketing the development.

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