Landmark for first phase Sheffield West Bar building
Contractor Bowmer + Kirkland has held a ceremonial bolt-tightening exercise with funder Legal & General to mark completion on the steel superstructure of a 100,000 sq ft office building.
This building, No. 1 West Bar Square, will be the first to reach completion at the £300m West Bar development.
Urbo (West Bar), a joint venture between Urbo Regeneration and Peveril Securities – the development arm of the Bowmer + Kirkland Group – secured £160m of funding from L&G to back development at West Bar, in a landmark deal for Sheffield.
The joint venture awarded a £94m construction contract to B+K 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 BTR apartments.
June 2024 is pencilled in for the completion of No. 1 West Bar Square. Construction is also well underway for the two residential blocks to provide 368 build-to-rent apartments.
The architect of No.1 West Bar Square is 5plus, with Asteer providing planning advice. The eight-storey building will have floorplates of up to 14,000 sq ft and a roof terrace.
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 450-space multi-storey car park is also part of the first phase with around 300 cycle storage spaces and electric car charging points.
West Bar as a whole is a £300m development on a key gateway site, which will include 500,000 sq ft of grade A offices, apartments, public realm and parking as well as retail and leisure.
The promoters said the scheme will deliver the city’s largest office floorplates.
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 delighted 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 prominently located on the city’s inner ring road between Sheffield’s Kelham Island, Cathedral and Castlegate Quarters.
Along with funding the office element, L&G is the backer of the Soho Yard BTR part of West Bar, with 368 apartments across two buildings, accessed from Plum Lane.
The development sits on the site of the Soho wheel, which historically powered grinding machinery near the River Don.
