Exciting companies choosing to locate in South Yorkshire

This article was authored by Ian Leech for www.insidermedia.com and published under the title 'Exciting companies choosing South Yorkshire over Oxford and Cambridge', on Exciting companies choosing South Yorkshire over Oxford and Cambridge | Insider Media. It is reproduced above in accordance with section 30(2) of the Copyright, Design and Patents Act 1988.

 

Leading advanced manufacturing, good housing, job opportunities and an outdoor lifestyle mean that South Yorkshire is a great place to live and work, Insider's latest roundtable event has heard. And there is an abundance of existing companies too who want to grow in the region. 

Colin Blackburn, director of housing and infrastructure at South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) told the event: "We are in the vanguard of applicability of implementing research into industry. We can see it through companies such as Holtec, which is coming to South Yorkshire to build small modular reactors, or Sheffield Forgemasters, which is very strong in the defence industry and is working very closely with the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (University of Sheffield AMRC)."

Rob Darrington, director at property consultancy CPP, added: "There are some great, growing companies here and most have said that they want to be here for the lifestyle benefits and they don’t want to be paying £100 a square foot for space in Oxford or Cambridge. They appreciate that there is a knowledge share and brand down there but a lot say they can do it here with the critical mass of smaller innovation companies and platform"

Scott Cardwell, service director for economy and development at City of Doncaster Council said: "I think there is a big quality of life potential for people living here. There is plenty of housing, a good quality economic offer, somewhere to have a fantastic career. but there’s also the outdoors space and value for money that the place presents. If you combine that with our connectivity as well then there is a unique offer."

Several participants told the event, held at the offices of communications agency Counter Context, that SYMCA has been a unifying force for good and means that local authorities aren’t working in 'silos' now.  

There was also an appreciation that transport connectivity is improving although more still needs to be done. Ed Catchpole, regional director at land owner Harworth Group, said: "Isn’t the most important bit here, making these tough decisions and having conversations at an early stage so initiatives can be put in early enough to trigger development afterwards? If we look at the Advanced Manufacturing Park and Waverley station, it is fantastic that we get that now and in a few years time when development is largely complete. But imagine what could have been created if Waverley station went in on day one." 

Catchpole also said he believes the South of England is navigating a tricky planning landscape better than the north. He added: "In South Yorkshire we have a load of brownfield regeneration opportunities but Biodiversity Net Gain policy is whirring away. Open mosaic, habitat, high value prevents development coming forward so there is a real dichotomy which we have to overcome. And affordable housing policy seems to be an issue which can be overcome much more freely in the South of England."

Tim Bottrill, founder of the colloco property agency warned about an impending lack of office space in Sheffield city centre. "If we are talking about Sheffield being a better place to invest, now is the time to do it because these schemes take years to get off the ground."

Sean McClean, Sheffield City Council's director of regeneration and development, said that the city's upcoming Innovation Spine will address the second and third expansions of businesses and generate occupational  interest. "We are doing the mapping with businesses and looking at what businesses exist now, what their future demands are, looking at what future demands might be, mapping against current space and looking at current availability to understand the eco-system, the growth potential and then give it to developers and investors to show that there is a demand to invest." 

Housebuilder David Cross, founder of Sky-House Co, warned that there is a viability and activity issue in creating new homes. "If you want to generate more activity in South Yorkshire you need more people to build stuff. What Manchester did really well at was to build inside the Mancunian Way, build quality, build high, build fast. From that, you get lawyers conveyancing, removals firms, architects, interior design shops. It catalyses." 

The University of Sheffield and Sheffield Hallam University have an important role in the city providing skills, research and city centre footfall. Sheffield Hallam is completing its major city campus development. So, at a time of national difficulty for universities might we see them stop capital investment?

Delia Harmston, studio director at HLM Architects said: "I don’t see the universities pausing. I don’t think they can. At the end of the day they have students which they need to attract to their institutions and to cities. They have to compete in a national and international market and students are ever more selective. They have to reassess where they are at the moment and might change tack slightly. Maybe there will be more retrofit and investment in public realm and connection to the city. I think we will see more outreach between the universities and the city."

And Matt Summerhill, managing partner for Yorkshire, Humber & the North East at construction consultancy Rider Levett Bucknall, said: "There is more discussion  among students now about the quality of estate and environment than the quality of teaching. Universities can’t rest on their laurels because it is an incredibly competitive market."