Heart of the City II is a new city centre regeneration scheme being undertaken in Sheffield, UK. It is being developed by the Sheffield City Council, which has selected Queensberry as the delivery partner.
Formerly known as the Sheffield Retail Quarter, it is one of the key economic projects in Sheffield. The scheme aims to bring the best shopping, leisure, residential and office opportunities into the region.
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The ground-breaking ceremony of the new HSBC office as part of phase one of the mixed-use project was conducted in May 2017. Phase one works are anticipated to be completed in 2019, while the final phase is expected to be completed in 2021.
Estimated to cost £480m ($740m approximately), the project is expected to create 500 construction jobs, and between 5,500 and 7,000 indirect jobs upon completion.
Heart of the City II project details
Spread across 7ha of Sheffield City Centre, the mixed-use project will retain the existing street patterns and historic buildings while adding new architecture and unique outdoor spaces.
The mixed-use urban regeneration scheme is a part of the council’s wider economic plans to provide the right environment for a dynamic private sector with a skilled workforce. It will be home to Sheffield’s cultural and commercial ventures and include a retail scheme.
Apart from uniting key retail areas in the city centre, the new scheme will strive to make Sheffield one of the top ten retail locations in the UK in conjunction with the recently extended Meadowhall shopping centre.
Heart of the City II phase one development details
Built in the 1960s, the Grosvenor hotel was demolished to make way for the first phase of Sheffield’s new retail quarter.
The first phase of development will include HSBC’s 14,000ft² grade A office building, approximately 60,000ft² of retail space, and high-quality public spaces and squares. Eight new retail units are proposed to be developed as part of the first phase.
The new HSBC office will include a spacious central atrium and a rooftop terrace. It will have two entrances with the main office entrance located on the corner of Wellington Street and Cambridge Street, and another one facing the public realm at Charter Square.
The building will also include retail space, with shopfronts primarily located on Cambridge Street, as well as at the intersection of Pinstone Street and Furnival Gate.
Future phases of Heart of the City II project
The next phases of the development will include the construction of 1.5 million square feet of new retail, office and residential space, leisure facilities, public spaces, and two new premium hotels rated up to five-star.
The main focus of the plan will be to retain the city’s heritage, which includes the Pinstone Street frontages and the historic Leah’s Yard. The development proposal also includes enhanced key walking routes through the city, space for cycle routes and secure cycle parking.
Public consultation for the next phase of works, which includes three new blocks, is expected to begin in April 2018. Construction is expected to start towards the end of 2018.
The council proposes to fund each phase of delivery with Queensberry providing the design, delivery and lettings expertise. It will either retain phases of the scheme or dispose of some or the entire scheme in the open market.
Contractors involved
BAM Construction was awarded the construction contract for the first phase of the mixed-use project.
Leonard Design Architects and TconcepT were selected as the designers for the development scheme.
DSM Demolition performed the demolition works of the Grosvenor hotel.
