Clay Construction begin work on site at landmark Sheffield property.

Clay Construction have been appointed as main contractors for the redevelopment of Sheffield’s iconic city centre property, Steel City House.

Owned by local developers, Scott’s Developments, the transformation of Grade II listed Steel City House is being facilitated by the JESSICA Fund for the Sheffield City Region.

Following the delivery of extensive enabling works over the last few months, Steel City House is now on its way to becoming Grade A, high-specification office and workspace with a completion date of Spring/Summer 2017.

Commenting on the appointment of Huddersfield-based, family run firm Clay Construction, John Scotting, managing director of Scott’s Developments said: “Led by Ben Clay and project manager, Gavin Tate, the construction team starting work on site marks the next major phase in the redevelopment of this landmark property.”

“There are multiple building works to be completed before the main steel order arrives and we can start work on the sixth floor extension and adding key features such as the scenic bridges that will link two halves of the building, plus the creation of the striking new atrium roof.”

“We’ve already started marketing the building with Commercial Property Partners (CPP), Knight Frank and Bowcliffe and have had an excellence response from a number of prospective professional occupants.”

Concludes Ben Clay, project team leader for Clay Construction: “As with any complex construction project, Steel City House offers up its own challenges but it is such a culturally important building, we’re more than happy to be tasked with bringing about its renovation into a property that will once again turn heads both inside and out.”

Issued on behalf of Scott’s Developments by Priest and Co.

The Sheffield City Region JESSICA Fund has provided two new loans for developments in the City Region.

The first loan of £5 million is for the development of the iconic, Grade II listed Steel City House, in Sheffield City Centre, by Scotts Developments. The loan will enable the refurbishment and addition of an extra floor at the property and provide c. 63,561 sq ft of much needed Grade A office space in the Sheffield Central Business District.

William Church, Director of CBRE Capital Advisors, the Fund’s investment advisor, commented:

“The aim of the Fund is to give developers the opportunity to secure much needed finance for strategic sites that will make a significant contribution to the success of the Sheffield City Region. They are projects that can promote sustainable employment, rejuvenate areas and create new opportunities for communities across the region. We are now seeing some of the earlier loans granted by the Fund be repaid.  This will enable us to ensure the funding of future projects that will be crucial to the continued regeneration and economic growth of the region.”

James Newman, Chairman of the Sheffield City Region Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), added:

‘’These investments by the Fund will provide much needed Grade A office space in Sheffield city centre and underline the LEP’s commitment  to its strategy of growing the professional services and digital sectors across the whole City Region.’’

Councillor Leigh Bramall, Cabinet Member for Business, Skills and Development at Sheffield City Council, said:

“We are committed to positioning the Sheffield City region as a leading destination, not just for UK businesses but international ones too.   Key to this is having the ability to regenerate and enable further development across the region. The SCR JESSICA Fund is an intrinsic part of this regeneration.”

The SCR JESSICA Fund, which is made up of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and Growing Places capital, aims to provide funding for projects at competitive commercial rates where funding might otherwise prove challenging in the current markets.

The Fund will commit capital to regeneration opportunities with a focus on office and industrial developments, which meet the ERDF’s targets on employment, remediation and floorspace outputs. The Fund is managed by CBRE Capital Advisors.

Scott’s Developments granted planning permission to bring Sheffield landmark back to life.

Sheffield-based Scott’s Developments are poised to bring one of Sheffield’s landmark buildings back to life and create new jobs in the process after gaining planning permission from Sheffield City Council.

Reminiscent of New York’s iconic Flatiron building, the property was constructed in 1927 and originally housed a highly advanced telephone exchange.

Scott’s Developments acquired Steel City House in mid-2014. The team has since spent the last 12 months researching, planning and consulting with architects, local officials and environmental experts to create a comprehensive redevelopment proposal for the property.

Explains John Scotting, Managing Director of Scott’s Developments: “I’ve grown up with Steel City House – it’s always been one of my favourite buildings in the city. When the opportunity arose to purchase it, we explored numerous ways to fund its redevelopment. Earlier this year, we received those funds from the EU-backed JESSICA Fund for the Sheffield City Region.”

Continues Scotting: “When we purchased Steel City House we considered a dozen different options for use. It’s our aim to leave a legacy with a positive impact on Sheffield, so we have chosen to create the most impressive office space in the city.”

“To attract inward investment to Sheffield, the city must offer premises with the specification levels required to accommodate modern business needs. There is currently very little Grade A space available, particularly with close access to restaurants and bars in Leopold Square, public transport links, car parks and the proposed New Retail Quarter.”

Outlines Scotting: “To qualify for the funding, we will be dramatically improving the property’s environmental credentials. We will replace and relocate the outdated air-conditioning, lifts and plant rooms, which look particularly unsightly on the roof of the building. This will also enable us to create an extra floor on the roof affording panoramic views across the city.”

Commenting on the project, Leigh Bramall, Sheffield City Council’s cabinet member for Business, Skills and Development said: “The planning committee voted unanimously in favour of the application. We’re looking forward to one of the most prominent buildings in Sheffield being brought back in to use, and especially pleased to support a project that will create and sustain jobs in the city centre.”

Adds Stephen Last from SDA Architects: “Steel City House is a unique property with strong architectural features. Our brief was to focus on enhancing the building with a contemporary roof extension and to introduce modern interior space befitting the iconic exterior façade. To achieve that, a spacious reception and business café will lead to a new central atrium with bridges linking open floor plates to the glass lifts. The new floors complete a comprehensive development with high quality workspace provided throughout.”

Concludes Scotting: “Completion is schedule for Spring 2016. With that in mind, we’ll start marketing to potential tenants over the summer. We can offer space from 400 to 65,000 sq ft., with floor plates of just over 10,000 sq ft. available, so it will be interesting to see the initial response. It is our intention to deliver a first class development that Sheffielders can be proud of. It’s a hugely exciting project for us and I can’t wait to see it take shape.”