Soho Yard delivered at Sheffield’s West Bar

Contractor Bowmer & Kirkland topped out on the 368 BTR apartments last April and has now handed over for occupation, completing phase one of the £300m regeneration scheme.

Phase one also consists of No.1 West Bar Square, a 100,000 sq ft grade A office building, and two public squares – one serving the office and one for the apartments.

No.1 West Bar Square was designed by architects 5plus with planning advice from Asteer Planning, and comprises eight storeys of energy efficient floorplates of up to 14,000 sq ft, a roof terrace offering panoramic views across the city, and retail accommodation at ground floor.

Soho Yard’s 368 apartments are split over two buildings and located on the site of the Soho Wheel, which powered grinding machinery near the River Don during the Industrial Revolution.

Ranging from one- to three-bed apartments, amenities include a gym, yoga studio, private dining rooms, roof terraces, a games room, co-working spaces, a residents’ lounge, and bike storage.

The whole development is being delivered by Urbo (West Bar), a joint venture between Urbo Regeneration, Peveril Securities, and Legal & General, which is providing £160m of funding for phase one.

When complete, the development will be home to 1m sq ft of mixed-use space, including 500,000 sq ft of grade A offices, apartments, public amenities, a 450-space multi-storey car park, and green space.

The West Bar neighbourhood is located on the Inner Ring Road between Sheffield’s Kelham Island, Cathedral, and Castlegate Quarters.

Nearby developments include Packaged Living and Buccleuch’s 375 apartment scheme on the site of an adjacent derelict office block.

The apartments are being operated by L&G, as part of its Build to Rent – Homes for Life portfolio.

Adam Burney, head of annuity BTR & PBSA, L&G said: “This asset plays a pivotal role in the regeneration of West Bar Sheffield, delivering much-needed homes and transforming the local area into a vibrant new community for people to live, work, and play.”

Peter Swallow, managing director at Urbo, said: “We are delighted to achieve completion of this latest phase of development at West Bar Sheffield. The BTR residential element is a very important part of the overall mixed-use provision to ensure that West Bar is an inclusive and sustainable urban addition to Sheffield.”