Major developments at Sheffield City Region’s Gateway 36 commercial scheme

Harworth Group’s speculative 75,277 sq. ft ‘Helix’ unit, located in Barnsley, has been practically completed in addition to a 4,700 sq. ft drive-thru unit for KFC & Taco Bell.

Whilst working on behalf of Harworth, JF Finnegan completed the ‘Helix’ unit on September 5th, which also saw Trojan Developments finish the fast-food unit.

‘Helix’ now offers manufacturing and logistics space with a BREEAM “Very Good” sustainability rating as part of the site’s 17-acre first phase of development and is ready for immediate occupation.

Funding for the construction of the new unit came from a £2.7m loan from the Sheffield City Region (SCR) Joint European Support for Sustainable Investment in City Areas (JESSICA) Fund.

‘Helix’ is the fourth unit to be directly developed and completed at Gateway 36, which is located by junction 36 of the M1 off the Dearne Valley Parkway.

Letting agents for the development are Knight Frank and Gent Visick, which are actively marketing the Helix unit to a range of national and regional companies for immediate leasehold occupation.

Trojan Developments also practically completed the construction of the 4,700 sq. ft fast-food unit at the front of the development on Harworth’s behalf. This unit will be now be leased by Fieldrose Ltd on a 20-year lease and then occupied by their KFC and Taco Bell franchisees.

Both restaurants are expected to be open from October following the completion of fit-out work.

The completion of these units means that just 1.63 acres of land remains to be developed at the site for roadside retail or leisure uses.

The first phase of Gateway 36 is estimated to create more than 450 new jobs in addition to having the potential to add £20m in Gross Value Added to the Sheffield City Region economy.

Dave Travis, associate director of business space at Harworth, said: “I am proud of how Gateway 36 is developing, with the new Helix unit having great prominence to the Dearne Valley Parkway. The completion of Helix is further proof of Barnsley’s economic growth and we are confident that we will quickly secure an occupier for the unit, with a list of occupiers already expressing an interest.”

Rebecca Schofield, partner at Knight Frank, commented: “Helix is ideally located with immediate access to Junction 36 of the M1 – thereby being well-placed to serve companies covering the South Yorkshire and West Yorkshire markets. The premises have been finished to a high specification, therefore offering the flexibility to cater for Distribution and Manufacturing requirements.”

Paul Mack, Director at Gent Visick, added: “There is still a significant shortage of available modern commercial units under 100,000 sq. ft in Yorkshire and this situation is particularly acute in South Yorkshire.

“Helix is in a prime location and given the sustained level of interest from occupiers keen to see its completion, we are confident that a new tenant will be secured sooner rather than later.”