The regeneration of Sheffield plans to add 5m sq ft of office floorspace and create 30,000 new jobs by 2020.

Sheffield has suffered in recent times from a lack of quality office space. This is changing with the masterplan currently well underway as £77m of office projects are under construction in the city centre. Sheffield’s regeneration goes beyond just office space with plans to benefit the whole city. Other planned developments include a 100 acre technology park situated close to the M1: The Square, a mixed use office, retail and leisure complex and a £600m new retail quarter, the first phase of which is due for completion in 2011 and will be anchored by a John Lewis department store.

Ben Morley, deputy director of regeneration at Creative Sheffield, told PIN: “ Sheffield has undergone a quiet revolution over the past 5-10 years from a city suffering from decline to one that is forward and outward looking.”
When PIN asked about the opportunities for investors, Morely added “An economic masterplan has been put in place by all the key bodies in the city that sets the direction of it for the next 10 years, which provides clarity of thought and a degree of certainty and comfort to potential investors. The recent success of the city is based on this sound approach of setting clear plans and delivering them, given that developments such as Sevenstone (the New Retail Quarter) and the New Business District have yet to make their impact then there are still great opportunities to be part of an improving economy.”