Major construction milestone reached at £300m mixed use scheme
The first phase delivery of West Bar, in Sheffield city centre,
West Bar is a £300m development which is transforming an important gateway site in Sheffield to provide one million sq ft of mixed-use space.
This includes 500,000 sq ft of Grade A workspace, apartments, new public realm, multi-storey car parking, together with new retail and leisure uses.
As well as providing more housing, it will deliver the city’s largest office floorplates whilst supporting up to 8,000 new jobs.
Senior officials from project funder Legal & General visited the site to view progress on the steel frame superstructure for the first 100,000 sq ft office building, No 1 West Bar, which is expected to be completed by June 2024.
Construction is also well underway for the two residential blocks to provide 368 build-to-rent apartments.
Urbo (West Bar) Ltd, a joint venture between Urbo Regeneration and Peveril Securities (the development arm of the Bowmer and Kirkland Group) secured £160m of funding from Legal & General in the largest single city centre investment deal Sheffield has ever seen.
It has awarded a £94m construction contract to Bowmer & Kirkland to deliver the first phase to include West Bar Square, which will be the heart of the commercial public realm area and Soho Yard which will serve the residential BTR apartments.
As part of the agreed deal between Legal & General and Urbo, a second 100,000 sq ft office building will be delivered to follow No 1 West Bar Square.
A new 450 space multi-storey car park is also part of the first phase with around 300 cycle storage spaces and electric car charging points.
Gordon Aitchison, director of investment and development at Legal & General Investment Management Real Assets, said: “It’s fantastic to see such momentum at Sheffield West Bar as we continue in partnership with Urbo, Sheffield City Council, and the local community.
“The delivery of West Bar will provide a vibrant new quarter for the centre of Sheffield; bringing much-needed new homes, jobs, and regeneration.
“With the need for investment in our UK towns and cities ever-increasing, Legal & General remains committed to using dynamic partnerships to spark regeneration and secure the economic prosperity of socially important schemes.”
Peter Swallow, managing director at Urbo, said: “We are happy to reach this significant milestone at West Bar, a strategically important project that will heavily support job creation and economic growth for Sheffield City Region.
“It is incredible to witness how far Bowmer & Kirkland have progressed with three great structures already making a prominent stamp on the city skyline and even more exciting to realise that completion is just ten months away.”
The West Bar neighbourhood is on the Inner Ring Road between Sheffield’s Kelham Island, Cathedral and Castlegate Quarters.
