Property managing agent appointed to £65m Chinatown development in Sheffield

The £65m Chinatown development in Sheffield, which comprises student, residential and commercial accommodation, is the latest addition to the portfolio of projects under the management of Doncaster-based property specialists Barnsdales.

The company has agreed a three-year deal to look after key aspects of the management of New Era Square – located between London Road and Bramall Lane and dubbed Sheffield’s Times Square.

The work will be managed from Barnsdales’ Sheffield office and responsibilities will include service charge management, facilities management and rent collection.

The first block within New Era Square opened in September to provide 100 studio apartments as student accommodation. The KH Oriental Supermarket is due to open in the coming weeks and another block comprising more student accommodation, a common room and additional retail units is on schedule for completion by Christmas.

The opening of a 20-storey tower block by the end of May 2018 will mark completion of phase one of the development.

Phase two, due for completion by mid-2019, will see the addition of further residential and retail units, a medical centre and an office block for the China-UK Business Incubator.

Rob Johnson, associate within Barnsdales’ Commercial Property Management and Professional Services team, said: “This is a landmark development which is of great significance regionally and nationally and we are delighted to be involved.

“We were introduced to the team at New Era Development by our industry contacts and we won a three-year contract against some very strong competition. The scale, variety and profile of the project are such that it calls for the highest standards. That will be an ongoing challenge, but one which New Era Development recognises we are capable of meeting.

“Our success in winning this contract underlines the calibre of Barnsdales’ residential and commercial management services and also the progress made by Barnsdales FM. In just two years the facilities management division has become established as an integral part of the business, winning developing a strong client base of its own and supporting the activities of the wider group.”

Jerry Cheung, managing director of New Era Development (UK) Ltd, added: “New Era Square has been 10 years in the making and we are extremely proud of the quality of all aspects of the development. The intention from the outset was to provide residents with everything they need whilst living and studying in Sheffield.

“As a high-end, all-inclusive student experience it needs a managing agent which is skilled and experienced in all aspects of residential, retail and commercial property. We have every confidence in the ability of Barnsdales to work with us in delivering the best for our tenants.”