The Leader of Sheffield City Council, Bob Johnson, and Chief Executive, Kate Josephs, recently took part in a joint visit to Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park to learn more about upcoming health care, regeneration and sporting projects totalling over £200m.
The pair were given a first-hand look at developer Scarborough Group International’s (SGI) masterplan for the 80-acre area, including the recently started construction of the Community Stadium which will provide 23,000 sq. ft. of flexible business space and capacity for 3,900 spectators.
The tour included the park’s significant sporting, education, and research institutions – the English Institute of Sport Sheffield, Sheffield Hallam University’s Advanced Wellbeing Research Centre, iceSheffield, Sheffield Arena, UTC Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park and Oasis Academy Don Valley.
Kate Josephs, Chief Executive of Sheffield City Council, said: “It was fabulous to see the work underway at Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park and hear about the exciting plans for the area. The park will be a huge asset for our city and wider region; contributing to an innovative, unique and ambitious future for Sheffield.”
Earlier this year, partners involved in achieving Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park’s ambition of becoming a world-class community for the health, wellbeing, sport, and activity sectors, welcomed a series of milestones that will take the development to the next level.
This includes the development of a masterplan for approximately 850,000 sq. ft. of commercial space across an 80-acre zone, which will feature a 40,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art Enterprise Centre to support fledgling businesses in the health, wellbeing, sport and activity sectors.
Kevin McCabe, Chairman of SGI, commented: “We are really excited about the significant opportunities our development plans can deliver for Sheffield and the wider region.
“Construction work is now underway on the new Community Stadium which will be used principally for professional football and rugby league matches, as well as catering for children to learn and play a variety of sports.
“Over the coming months we will finalise our revised Masterplan for the next phase of Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park and will be consulting with Sheffield City Council Officials as well as the local community to talk them through our proposals prior to formally submitting the necessary Planning Applications.”
Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust is leading plans for a ground-breaking National Centre for Child Health Technology (CCHT) which will develop technology to address national child health priorities including obesity and mental health. The CCHT is predicted to generate £30m in research funding, attract £50m in private sector investment and deliver over £200m in savings to the NHS in the next 10 years.
Canon Medical Systems is planning a new, world-class diagnostic imaging lab and research centre for product development that promises to transform the speed and accuracy of diagnostics for the NHS and healthcare industry.
Former Sports Minister and Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park Project Lead, Richard Caborn, added: “I’m delighted that we were able to give Bob and Kate an inside look at Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park’s innovate approach to overcoming modern healthcare and economic challenges.
“Whilst we’re no doubt currently facing challenging circumstances, the steps we’ve taken to invest in health and wellbeing through state-of-the-art research and development technologies will help pave the way for a bright future for Sheffield City Region.”
Pictured L-R: David Hobson (Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park), Bob Johnson (Sheffield City Council), Richard Caborn (Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park), Martin McKervey (Sheffield Property Association), Kate Josephs (Sheffield City Council)
