Bolsterstone Group

Bolsterstone’s sister company, Urbo Regeneration, has seen its state-of-the-art 100,000 sq. ft. Grade A office building, No.1 West Bar Square, formally handed over to Sheffield City Council for a term of 40 years.

The landmark building was handed over by Legal & General Chair, Sir John Kingman to Sheffield City Council on Thursday 17 October.

The award-winning landmark building sits within the first phase of the exciting £300 million West Bar regeneration scheme in the centre of Sheffield.

The seven-acre scheme is being jointly developed by Peveril Securities (the development arm of the Bowmer and Kirkland Group) and Chesterfield-based Urbo Regeneration, a specialist developer of large-scale, mixed use regeneration projects in partnership with the public sector.

Construction of No.1 West Bar Square was brought forward in 2022 by Urbo following a conditional funding agreement with Legal & General. The agreement is believed to be the largest single city centre private investment deal in Sheffield’s history.

No.1 West Bar Square forms part ofone million sq. ft. of mixed commercial and residential space within the West Bar scheme which will support up to 6,000 jobs once complete.

Peter Swallow, Managing Director at Bolsterstone, 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. We have worked closely with stakeholders for many years to bring forward an important regeneration scheme that can majorly support the city’s current and future housing, jobs and regeneration needs.”

West Bar was made possible with the completion of Sheffield’s Inner Ring Road, which created the opportunity to develop an exciting accessible new business address at the heart of one of the UK’s largest cities. As the first building to be completed on the strategically important site, No.1 West Bar Square represents the long-awaited redevelopment of the prominent brownfield site on the Inner Ring Road between Sheffield’s Kelham Island, Cathedral and Castlegate Quarters. 

The impressive landmark office building features a contemporary, curved, curtain glass facade. It provides eight storeys of highly efficient, column-less office floorplates up to 14,000 sq ft, a roof terrace offering panoramic views across the city and retail accommodation at ground floor.

The office space has been designed with sustainability at its heart, featuring BREEAM ‘Excellent’ accreditation and an EPC A rating together with a Grade A specification to meet modern occupier requirements.

In addition to No.1 West Bar Square, the first phase of the scheme will deliver 368 build-to-rent apartments which are due for completion later this year. This will then be followed by an additional 100,000 sq ft office building and a 450 multi-storey car park which incorporates 300 cycle storage spaces together with EV charging facilities. 

Special attention has been given to more than an acre of public realm within the scheme, which will be available for the public to use and enjoy, as well as creating a high quality environment to compliment the wider scheme. Leisure and retail uses activate the ground floor presence of all of the buildings.  

Commenting on the next steps for West Bar, Peter said: “Phase two plans for West Bar will commence soon. Further phases will ultimately provide 1 million sq ft of mixed-use accommodation, of which over 500,000 sq ft will be Grade A office space offering the largest floor plates in Sheffield city centre. West Bar is an award-winning example of what can be achieved through effective public and private sector collaboration.”

Ralph Jones of Peveril Securities added: “Our vision for West Bar is to deliver a vibrant and sustainable new quarter for the centre of Sheffield and we are excited to be achieve completion of this first gateway building. Peveril Securities and Bowmer and Kirkland enjoy an excellent working relationship with Legal and General and we look forward to continuing to work with them to deliver future phases on the scheme in the near future.”

Ben Rodgers, Head of Regeneration, L&G Asset Management commented:  “I’m delighted to handover the office space to Sheffield City Council. We’re one step closer to delivering our vision for West Bar: to provide a much-needed new quarter for the centre of Sheffield, fulfilling our commitment to the city’s housing, jobs, and strategic regeneration. 

“This important scheme will drive innovation, social impact and economic growth, strengthening Sheffield’s position as a leading UK city. We’re delighted with progress made so far, and look forward to continuing our partnership with Urbo, Sheffield City Council, and the local West Bar community.”

Cllr Ben Miskell, Chair of the Transport, Regeneration and Climate Policy Committee at Sheffield City Council, said:“This is a fantastic moment in the regeneration of Sheffield and marks the completion of a soon-to-be iconic building on the city’s skyline. Our vision for West Bar is an incredibly exciting one and will add to the appeal of the city centre being a place to live, work and enjoy.

“Sheffield is transforming into a clean, green and vibrant city, with many brilliant areas offering residents and visitors alike a whole host of things to do, see, love and enjoy. The new West Bar community fits in perfectly with our vision for the city and, as it continues to grow, will draw more people, businesses and visitors to it.”

Andrew Kail, CEO Legal & General Institutional Retirement commented:“This marks a key milestone – the first step of the transformation of Sheffield West Bar. We have the ambition to create a prestigious home for businesses in Sheffield, as part of a vibrant new community. This development is an example of how we use the power of pensions to drive forward positive change across the UK, as we bring a previously derelict space back to life.”

The building is currently being jointly marketed by BNP Paribas Real Estate’s Sheffield office and Cushman & Wakefield’s Leeds office. For contact details visit here

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