Sheffield council have secured funding for new private sector investment involving apartments, office spaces and two new public squares.

On March 17 a report will be presented to the Council’s Cabinet to seek approval of funding agreements which will help to deliver the first phase of development at West Bar.

The development will have 368 apartments, 100,00 sq ft of grade A office space and two new public squares.

The office spaces are described as  ‘well designed flexible high quality office spaces’ which will be vital post pandemic.

Councillor Mazher Iqbal, Cabinet Member for Business and Investment said:  “We know that the long term economic impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic will be uncertain, but even before that had begun we had recognised the need to adapt the City Centre”.

He added:  “We are also certain that whilst working from home is likely to continue to some extent in future, there will still be a need for the supply of well designed, flexible high quality office space, which is vital to sustaining the growth of the city’s economy.”

This will be the first new office spaces built in Sheffield since 2016/17 and will ultimately accommodate 6,000 jobs within a 10 minute walk of the bottom of Fargate.

Peter Swallow, Managing Director at Urbo (developer), said: “No.1 West Bar Square will offer large footprint, modern office accommodation, currently lacking in Sheffield city centre. Delivering West Bar is testament to the strength of Sheffield as a considerable powerhouse in the North and an attractive place to live and work.”

Subject to planning permission being granted, development will start on site this year. Currently the site is either vacant or temporary car parks.