New retail offer at Waverley flagship development proves popular

The urban shopping and leisure development on Highfield Spring, part of Harworth’s complete redevelopment of the former mining site, totals 11 retail units and a medical centre and will serve the current community of more than 2,500 residents and around 1,700 homes, expected to rise to 8,000 people and more than 3,000 homes by 2029.

Three units of 1,420 sq ft remain to let, with advanced interest in one, attracted by the chance to secure new retail space in the centre of one of Sheffield’s newest urban areas, with the Advanced Manufacturing Park (AMP) and its 2,000 employees also close by, as well as 100 other businesses.

Expected to open in early summer after fit out, the retail parade has already drawn in a mix of national and local independent retail and food and beverage occupiers, including Tesco, and is easily accessible via M1 Junction 33 and Sheffield Parkway, with Sheffield and Rotherham both well-connected to the scheme.

Kitty Hendrick, from the Sheffield office of Knight Frank, which is marketing the site, said: “Olive Lane is a really positive story, not only for the Waverley community but for the region.

“We are now just over 80 per cent under offer / let and the units have only just reached Practical Completion, which proves that there is strong demand for retail units in the region, and limited availability.

“We have secured a mix of national and local independent retail and F&B occupiers, including Tesco, and look forward to seeing the scheme up and running once tenants have fitted out.

“There will be something for everyone at Olive Lane and we envisage the scheme to be very popular with high footfall once open.”

Michael Jameson, Senior Asset Manager at Harworth said: “Harworth is delighted to bring Olive Lane to life, a development which will become the new mixed use heart of the Waverley Community. Creating places where people want to live and work is at the heart of what Harworth do and we’re confident that Waverley and Olive Lane delivers on that aim. We hope local residents and workers will enjoy all the amenities the high street has to offer, and are sure the scheme will be a huge success and really bring the community together.”

Harworth has been working on its flagship development since 2010 which will also include over 300 acres of green space, a primary school and 2m sq ft of business accommodation delivering around 4,000 high value jobs.

The developer’s vision for Waverley is to provide a sustainable, mixed-use development expected to contribute £1 billion to the local economy following completion. A range of quality homes has been built by Avant, Taylor Wimpey, Sky-House, Barratt Homes and Harron Homes. The site is currently expanding at a rate of around 160 homes per year with strong sales reported by all housebuilders.

The neighbouring AMP will deliver 2m sq ft of commercial space once fully built out and is already home to some of the world’s biggest manufacturers including Rolls-Royce, Boeing and McLaren Automotive as well as the UK Atomic Energy Authority.

Sheffield’s Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre is also close by and collaborates with over 250 companies. Its training centre is located immediately adjacent to the development and has over 200 students enrolled on an annual basis.

According to research by WeareWaverley.com there are around 15,000 car trips on Highfield Spring per day and 2m people live within 20 minute drive of the site. Total weekly retail expenditure for the community within 10 minutes of the site totals £36,948,000, with total weekly convenience expenditure totalling £6,538,000.

For information on available commercial property in South Yorkshire contact Kitty Hendrick at Knight Frank on 0114 272 9750 or 07989 735 137 or email [email protected]