£150m West Bar Square development plans set to go before Sheffield's planning committee

£150m plans for an office block and apartments in Sheffield go before the planning committee next week.
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Developers Urbo say they have met all the agreed planning conditions and are ‘very hopeful’ phase one of West Bar Square is given the green light.

The firm wants to build an eight-storey office with shops on the ground floor and two blocks with 368 flats off Corporation Street. This first phase will be funded by insurance giant Legal & General.

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In March, Sheffield City Council committed to a 40-year lease of the office block, set to cost millions. The decision, during a pandemic, alarmed the Lib Dems who ‘called in’ the multi-million pound ‘speculative investment’ for more scrutiny.

In March, Sheffield City Council committed to a 40-year lease of the office block, set to cost millions.In March, Sheffield City Council committed to a 40-year lease of the office block, set to cost millions.
In March, Sheffield City Council committed to a 40-year lease of the office block, set to cost millions.

Officers admit there is a risk but say the council has a loan from the Joint European Support for Sustainable Investment in City Areas and will pay very low rent to landlords Legal and General.

Urbo first submitted outline plans in 2016. Since then, Sheffield City Council has helped it acquire land through compulsory purchase orders from a patchwork of owners.

The site is now clear following demolitions and if planning permission is granted, the firm says construction could start in the autumn.

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Managing director, Peter Swallow, said: “The reserved matters applications add detail to the original outline planning consent and satisfy all the agreed planning conditions and so we are very hopeful that we will receive the green light next week, such that we are able to start construction.”

Urbo hopes to eventually create a £300m scheme with five office blocks and a 450-space multi-storey car park.

The planning and highways committee meeting is on Tuesday August 17.

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Thank you. Nancy Fielder, editor.

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