CTP St James - Mixed-Use Development - Sheffield, Midlands

Date: 25 Mar 2008

The pioneering £130 million Heart of the City project in Sheffield has taken a major step forward with a topping out ceremony at the new 520-space multi-storey car park in St Paul's Place.

The ceremony coincided with a farewell to Sir Bob Kerslake, the chief executive of Sheffield City Council, who is leaving the city to become head of the new Housing and Communities Agency.

Sir Bob has presided over the Heart of the City project, which has provided a new Civic, Cultural and Commercial Core.

One of the most significant parts of the Heart of the City project is St Paul's Place, a high-quality mixed-use scheme which includes a hotel, prime office space, restaurants, and further landscaped squares incorporating public artwork.

This scheme has been carried out by developers CTP Limited and St James Securities, with City Lofts Limited as residential developer.

St Paul's Place already comprises the completed 161-bed St Paul's 4* hotel, Millennium Square and No1 office development occupied by DLA Piper and RBS. This building also has café/restaurants Piccolinos, Café Nero and Café Rouge on the ground floor.

No 2 St Paul's Place is currently being constructed and is due to be completed in the spring of 2009. The residential parts of the scheme, comprising the 12-storey 86 apartment St Paul's View, and the 32-storey 230 apartment tower are due to be completed by Summer 2009 and early 2010 respectively.

The multi-storey car park off Charles Street, meanwhile, will now have its external cladding fitted and be completed by early October this year. Its operator Q-Parks will then fit it out ready for opening at the end of the month.

The plans for the public artwork in St. Paul's Square have also been released for consultation; a moving tower will provide an exciting and fitting focal point for St. Paul's Square. 'Spiralspire' ,a 30m transforming spire by Walter Jack Studio is a dramatic and intriguing celebration of engineering creativity.

David Topham of CTP St James stated: "We are delighted with the progress being made at the Heart of the City and the topping out of the MSCP building marks a significant milestone in the overall development programme.

"The building will provide high quality secure parking facility to the city centre in time for Christmas 2009. In addition to this the building will also be home to Stanley Casino's and we are currently negotiating with an up-market national restaurant and bar chain to take the final unit which we will announce shortly".

Sir Bob Kerslake, who has been the champion of the project at Sheffield City Council since his arrival in the City in 1997, said: "It has been a great privilege and very rewarding to be part of this highly successful project.

"It is a tribute to the great partnership working between Sheffield City Council, Creative Sheffield, Yorkshire Forward, English Partnerships, the Millennium Commission, plus our private sector partners CTP St.James and City Lofts. It is a wonderful example of the transformational change that is happening in Sheffield."

Andy Topley, Regeneration Director at Creative Sheffield, who has been leading the scheme since its inception commented: "Sir Bob has been a great Project Champion. Heart of the City/St. Paul's Place started the City Centre Regeneration.

"It has been a wonderful catalyst not only for the City's renaissance in terms of great public spaces for people to enjoy, but also in economic terms in reinvigorating the whole of the City Centre office market".