On any given weekend, either the city centre of Sheffield or Kelham Island will be bustling. Never both.
The West Bar Square development, which naturally links the city centre from the Cathedral to the edges of Kelham Island on Corporation Street, could be a huge step in linking the two areas together. The first phase of development will feature a huge office space, hundreds of ‘build to rent’ homes, a multi-storey car park and landscaped public spaces.
The company behind the development, Urbo Regeneration, has been working with the council to develop the West Bar Square project for years. The first phase will deliver large footprint, modern office space and is expected to accommodate nearly 2,000 workers. The creation of West Bar Square will connect the neighbouring Riverside Business District which already houses key office occupiers including the Home Office, law firm Irwin Mitchell and the Crown and Family Courts.
Peter Swallow, managing director of Urbo Regeneration said: “This is a massively significant investment for Sheffield, and is a vote of confidence in the future of the city as a whole. The partnership will deliver large scale regeneration in this important part of the city, linking the rapidly expanding Kelham Island district to the city centre.”
Councillor Mazher Iqbal, Sheffield city council cabinet member for business and investment, said: “This is fantastic news and yet another example of how we are attracting major new investment partners into the city. We are repeatedly being told that there is a shortage of new office space in the city centre which could have a negative impact on the local economy in terms of options for new or existing businesses to move and expand.
“As a council we are helping to address this through making sensible targeted interventions in the market with partners. This development will create jobs, living spaces and improved neighbourhoods right in the heart of Sheffield and provides better connectivity between the city centre and Kelham. It’s a huge project and Sheffield can’t wait for it to get started.”
