Sheffield's empty office space: bad for the city?

[CockneyMafia]

I spend a lot of time walking around Sheffield and am increasingly staggered by the amount of empty new build office space. Examples include Saville House near the Wicker, Gateway Broad Street (near Park Square roundabout) and North Bank near the River Don. There are many others.

 

Two things concern me. Firstly, lots of empty office space creates a negative impression. Why would a company relocate to a perennially vacant area with the air of a concierged ghetto? Secondly, more office space is being constructed. Why? Are prospective tenants lined up? Is this really the best use of land? Does Sheffield need more glass tower blocks plastered with To Let signs?

 

Does anyone have the inside track on Sheffield’s development plans? Office space is only beneficial is its being used. Otherwise it becomes a trope for a failing city.

[The Joker]

I'm aware of Savile House (to be honest, it's hard to miss, living on this side of the city).

 

I'm sure some companies have relocated there, as I saw some smartly-dressed people walking into the building couple of weeks ago.

 

And if you saw the building several years ago before it was improved . . . My goodness, now that was a sign of a failing city economy.

 

Then again, I have noticed many buildings in the middle of the city centre being converted to residential use to capitalise on the tens of thousands of students we have here. Two of these are next to the old Currys building near the top of the Moor.

 

I suppose that's where the investment is being made today.

Edited July 29, 2016 by The Joker

[CockneyMafia]

I'm aware of Savile House (to be honest, it's hard to miss, living on this side of the city).

 

I'm sure some companies have relocated there, as I saw some smartly-dressed people walking into the building couple of weeks ago.

 

And if you saw the building several years ago before it was improved . . . My goodness, now that was a sign of a failing city economy.

 

Then again, I have noticed many buildings in the middle of the city centre being converted to residential use to capitalise on the tens of thousands of students we have here. Two of these are next to the old Currys building near the top of the Moor.

 

I suppose that's where the money is today.

 

Where Sheffield is concerned, there is a fine line between truth and satire...

 

http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/society/everywhere-to-become-luxury-student-accommodation-2015040196964

[Flexo]

Does anyone have the inside track on Sheffield’s development plans? Office space is only beneficial is its being used. Otherwise it becomes a trope for a failing city.

 

It takes years to fill empty office space, but that space will be essential as existing firms expand and new firms get established.

 

The wastelands of derelict industry are a much worse problem than a shiny new office building awaiting its first tenants.

 

The development plan is here:

 

https://www.sheffield.gov.uk/planning-and-city-development/planning-documents/udp.html

[CockneyMafia]

It takes years to fill empty office space, but that space will be essential as existing firms expand and new firms get established.

 

The wastelands of derelict industry are a much worse problem than a shiny new office building awaiting its first tenants.

 

The development plan is here:

 

https://www.sheffield.gov.uk/planning-and-city-development/planning-documents/udp.html

 

Thanks for that. Very useful. And I agree Sheffield's wastelands present a signficiant challenge. My concern is the construction of new office space in a city that has so much sitting empty. So much of Sheffield's fringes feel like a ghost town at present and it seems folly to exacerbate the isuse.

 

That said, I fully concede I could be worrying over something that may not be an issue in five years' time.

[SkylinePhoto]

A lot of offices are converted into flats now.

 

I saw plenty of projects when i was in Brighton where they are converting them into flats or creating office space for enterprise projects.

 

We have seen the latter happening in Sheffield with OPUS etc

[Bob Arctor]

I spend a lot of time walking around Sheffield and am increasingly staggered by the amount of empty new build office space. Examples include Saville House near the Wicker, Gateway Broad Street (near Park Square roundabout) and North Bank near the River Don. There are many others.

 

Two things concern me. Firstly, lots of empty office space creates a negative impression. Why would a company relocate to a perennially vacant area with the air of a concierged ghetto? Secondly, more office space is being constructed. Why? Are prospective tenants lined up? Is this really the best use of land? Does Sheffield need more glass tower blocks plastered with To Let signs?

 

Does anyone have the inside track on Sheffield’s development plans? Office space is only beneficial is its being used. Otherwise it becomes a trope for a failing city.

 

A lot of the empty blocks went around 2005-7 when borrowing was cheap and the debt bundled into CDOs (I believe you might know something about those, Mike;)). Savile House, located where it is, is an emblem for how the ordinary people who live nearby are worse off than they were before while the people involved in the debt racket that creates these empty properties have done rather better. If other offices are being built it suggests that the already empty ones were built without utility in mind at all, just very short term profit. It seems very wasteful.

[dutch]

Computerisation of office duties will make offices less and less needed as time goes on. Internet can move remaining office labour to cheaper countries outside UK. Even when future business grows their offices will become smaller.

[Guest]

What I want to know is what are all the hotels catering for??

[CockneyMafia]

Computerisation of office duties will make offices less and less needed as time goes on. Internet can move remaining office labour to cheaper countries outside UK. Even when future business grows their offices will become smaller.

 

Also, a lot of companies have started to encourage home working. For the employer, it saves money on office space. For the employee, it means your employment prospect are less constrained by geography. Quite a few larger companies have home based workers who only check into the office once a month. I saw it a lot in my last role. At times (especially Fridays) the office felt empty, but anything that enables people to find jobs without leaving their home and family behind gets my approval.