Member Article

£35 million Sheffield student and retail accommodation revealed creating 100 jobs

A £35 million scheme to regenerate a site on Ecclesall Road in Sheffield with private and student apartments has been unveiled.

It will be a major boost to the area and the local economy, according to Sheffield-based Hallminster Ltd.

It is estimated that the development will create 300 jobs during the construction phase and 100 plus permanent jobs.

One building will have approximately 120 residential apartments designed for single people, couples and families, especially aimed at the professional sector.

The other will have 44 student apartments, each having comprehensive shared facilities at a high-spec standard required by increasing numbers of overseas students, especially from both the UK and abroad, who are choosing to study in Sheffield.

Shops and other outlets in keeping with the character of Ecclesall Road are planned at ground level.

The site, which has been ripe for development for nearly four years, was a Vauxhall car dealership before being turned into its current temporary use, a furniture showroom. There is an adjoining outdoor café. A nearby car wash outlet is unaffected.

The developments’ architects are another Sheffield company, Bond Bryan Architects Ltd.

Hallminster representative Dan Simpson said: “It’s an important mixed use scheme for Ecclesall Road, on a site that has been long overdue for redevelopment.

“It will be a very high quality project with a community feel and will bring that part of the road alive, providing an important link between Ecclesall Road and the city centre.

“We kept going when things were tough in 2011 and 2012, ensuring there were still cranes on the skyline of Sheffield, and now this is one of our biggest projects so far.

“It will regenerate another part of Ecclesall Road, in keeping with its distinctive character, creating a new sustainable community and providing employment opportunities for the city at the same time.

“We have had some positive feedback from both universities.”

Public consultation is being held ahead of a planning application being submitted to the council. It is hoped that construction can start in Autumn 2015 ready for the first residents in Summer 2017.

The Ecclesall Road project reflects a surge of interest among developers in sites on the edge of the city centre, especially around the south west and with a view to attracting students.

Land between nearby London Road and Bramall Lane is earmarked for the £65 million New Era Square ‘Chinatown’ development of student accommodation, shops, business incubator units, offices and food and drink outlets.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Clare Burnett .