Our Founder and Chairman, Kevin McCabe has been named winner of the Business Enterprise Award at the 37th Yorkshire Awards, held on 27 February 2026 at The Queens Hotel, Leeds.
The award recognises an individual whose leadership, vision and long-term commitment have delivered exceptional economic impact across Yorkshire and beyond. The judges cited Kevin’s six-decade career in property, his role in shaping the region’s urban landscape and his sustained commitment to regeneration across Yorkshire and the wider North.
Kevin founded Scarborough Group International in 1976. Fifty years on, the business remains family-owned and active across the UK, with a development pipeline exceeding £2 billion.
In the early 2000s, Kevin led the Group’s expansion across the UK, supported by teams in Leeds, London, Manchester, Sheffield, Scarborough and Edinburgh. Following the successful development of Amerikalei House in Antwerp, he established a European headquarters in 2006 and based himself in Brussels to oversee growth across Germany, France, Poland, Hungary, Denmark and Sweden.
Demonstrating the disciplined judgement that has defined his career, Kevin led the strategic sale of a significant portion of the Group’s European business shortly before the 2008 global financial crisis, recognising growing instability in the investment market. The decision protected the business ahead of widespread disruption across global banking and real estate sectors.
Under his leadership, Scarborough Group has delivered more than 40 million sq ft of commercial, residential and sporting space across the UK, Europe and parts of Asia.
Kevin has consistently taken a long-term, partnership-led approach to development, prioritising places that support jobs, enterprise and communities for generations.
Thorpe Park Leeds exemplifies that philosophy. Conceived more than three decades ago, the estate continues to evolve into one of the UK’s leading mixed-use destinations for business, education, retail and leisure. When complete, it is expected to support more than 15,000 jobs alongside new homes, public realm and sustainable infrastructure. Development will continue into the next decade, with further phases progressing.
Sport has been a constant thread throughout Kevin’s life. From playing football at school level in Sheffield to competitive amateur squash, he has remained closely involved in grassroots participation. In recent years, he introduced padel tennis to Scarborough and continues to support new facilities in Leeds and Sheffield.
He is also well known for his long association with professional football, having served as owner and chairman of Sheffield United Football Club. His experiences are reflected in his memoir, Mucky Boots, offering a candid account of life in the game.
Family remains central to his life. Married to Sandra for more than five decades, Kevin is a proud father and grandfather. His sons, Simon and Scott, are part of the Group’s leadership team.
Through the Scarborough Group Foundation, established 25 years ago, more than £2 million has been donated to charitable causes across Yorkshire and beyond, with a focus on health, wellbeing, medical research and support for children and young people.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, the Foundation coordinated the procurement and distribution of vital PPE to hospitals and key workers across Yorkshire and the North of England.
Kevin said:
“To receive the Business Enterprise Award at the Yorkshire Awards is a tremendous honour. I have always believed in backing this region, investing for the long term and working in partnership to create places where people and businesses can thrive. This recognition reflects the efforts of many talented colleagues, my family and partners who share that belief.”
Now in its 37th year, the Yorkshire Awards celebrate individuals and organisations whose work has made a significant contribution to the region’s reputation, prosperity and quality of life.
Photo courtesy of Roth Read Photography.
The Scarborough Group Foundation has announced its latest round of charitable giving, supporting organisations working across healthcare, community wellbeing, disability sport and youth development.
In its most recent funding round, the Foundation has committed £47,500 to charities delivering vital services and support to individuals and families across the UK.
Among the organisations supported are Alzheimer’s Research UK, Breast Cancer Now, Carers Trust, The King’s Trust and Sheffield Children’s Hospital Charity, alongside a number of other charities focused on healthcare, community support and opportunities for disabled athletes.
The Foundation has also continued its support for charities such as The Katie Piper Foundation, which helps people living with burns and scars rebuild their lives, and Limb Power, which enables amputees and people with limb impairments to build confidence and independence through sport.
In addition, funding has been directed to organisations providing specialist healthcare and hospice care, including Saint Catherine’s Hospice and Weston Park Cancer Charity, as well as initiatives supporting members of the armed forces community and inclusive sport programmes.
A spokesperson for the Trustees of the Scarborough Group Foundation said:
“The organisations we support carry out remarkable work in their communities, often helping people through some of the most challenging moments in their lives. We are proud to play a small part in strengthening that work and enabling these charities to continue providing vital support.
“Our aim has always been to invest in initiatives that deliver meaningful, lasting impact – whether through healthcare, community support or opportunities for people to rebuild confidence and independence.”
The latest donations build on the Foundation’s ongoing commitment to charitable giving. In recent years, the Foundation has supported a wide range of organisations working across health, education and community initiatives, including programmes supporting young amputees, unpaid carers, disabled athletes, bereaved military families and children with serious medical conditions.
Since its inception, the Scarborough Group Foundation has donated more than £2.4 million to charitable causes in the UK and internationally.
Scarborough Group reaches its fiftieth anniversary in 2026. In an industry shaped by economic cycles, longevity on that scale reflects an ability to adapt as conditions change, rather than any single moment of success.
1976 marked the point at which Kevin McCabe stepped into business ownership, quickly laying the foundations of what would become Scarborough Group. By then, he had already spent more than a decade in the construction and property industries, beginning his career as a quantity surveyor in Sheffield before moving to Scotland in the early 1970’s and joining Teesland Development Company, where he became a Director within a short period of time.
He chose to ‘go it alone’ just as the optimism of the early seventies was fading. Inflation was rising, interest rates were climbing, credit was tightening and confidence had become fragile. Projects that had appeared viable only months earlier were coming under pressure, often before completion.
That context shaped the business from the outset. Scarborough Group did not grow up in a market where fundamentals could be learned gradually or mistakes absorbed quietly. Early decisions mattered, and their consequences were often felt quickly. The discipline required in those years – around cost, structure and judgement – became embedded in how development was approached.
As the business evolved through the late 1970’s and 1980’s, growth was accompanied by McCabe’s willingness to work closely with financiers and institutional partners, adjusting structures where appropriate. A strong relationship was built with the Bank of Scotland, which saw McCabe work with them on the reorganisation of two previously listed companies, restructuring management and divisions before returning them to the market.
As the workload expanded, McCabe increased his involvement with Teesland Development Company, eventually leading it through a successful stock market listing. In a similar vein, the housebuilder Fairbriar Homes, then in difficulty, was acquired, reorganised and expanded ahead of its own return to the market.
These were not transactional arrangements, but partnerships carried through multiple market cycles and changing conditions.
Expansion across the UK and internationally followed. Teesland developed into a substantial fund and asset management business, with assets under management exceeding £5 billion at its peak. The acquisition of Property Fund Management plc added a platform of offices across ten European countries. Throughout this period, durability was never about preserving a single structure, but about maintaining coherence and control as conditions evolved.
Clarity around how the business was organised geographically was central to that approach. Scarborough Group remained close to the places where it was working and developing, making decisions with a direct understanding of local conditions rather than from a distance.
When McCabe decided to expand the Group internationally into Europe and the Far East, he chose to lead that growth directly, basing himself in the European capital, Belgium. From there, the business developed an on-the-ground presence across markets including the Netherlands, Germany, France, Poland, Hungary, Serbia, Denmark and Sweden, with more than ten regional offices established over time. The Group’s success across its international operations is well documented.
Operating in this way brought practical advantages. Proximity made it easier to distinguish between confidence driven by sentiment and strength grounded in fundamentals. The decision to sell the European business to Valad Property Group ahead of the 2008 global financial crisis reflected that approach. It was a deliberate exit, taken while scale and confidence were still intact and informed by close observation rather than by an assumption that conditions would persist.
Across five decades, relationships have been as important as assets. Partnerships with local authorities, advisors, funders and occupiers have been built gradually and sustained through more than one cycle. That continuity brings realism into decision-making. How a business behaves when schemes are under pressure tends to be remembered long after favourable conditions have passed, and reputation in development is earned through consistency and judgement exercised when outcomes are uncertain.
The same long-term perspective underpins Scarborough Group’s approach to regeneration. Legacy is understood as a responsibility to the communities that developments become part of, measured by whether places continue to function and support local life over time. Schemes are assessed not only on delivery, but on their ability to remain relevant as markets shift and expectations change.
Thorpe Park in Leeds reflects that approach clearly. Conceived more than three decades ago, the scheme has evolved through successive phases, transforming former agricultural land into a major business, residential, retail and leisure destination. Its longevity reflects a commitment to regeneration grounded in long-term adaptability rather than response to a single moment in the market.
Today, Scarborough Group is a private business with more than 3,000 acres of land owned or controlled and over £2 billion of projects in the pipeline across the UK. It remains a family-owned business, with continuity of ownership supporting long-term decision-making. While the current cycle is defined by its pace, with decisions scrutinised earlier and margins pressured sooner, this is familiar territory. Experience across cycles has reinforced a preference for selectivity, clarity and structures designed to absorb change.
As the business marks its fiftieth year, this piece opens a wider conversation about what adapting well in property actually requires. Through its upcoming Pull, Push, Shove podcast series, Scarborough Group will explore how cycles are experienced and navigated by those who have built through them.
Fifty years on, the story is not one of avoiding change, but of being built to adapt – staying close to decisions, acting with judgement, and continuing to create places and communities designed to endure.
‘Pull, Push and Shove’.
National Apprenticeship Week recognises apprenticeships across all industries as an alternative route into skilled professions alongside traditional academic pathways. Within property and regeneration, this includes degree apprenticeships that combine university study with sustained experience on live projects.
This year, National Apprenticeship Week coincides with Jake Hall completing a degree apprenticeship in Building Surveying with us, delivered through the University of Salford, while working full time.
Jake joined us in 2021 and has completed a five-year undergraduate degree apprenticeship, achieving a 2:1 honours classification alongside his role within the business.
During the programme, Jake gained experience across our national development and investment portfolio, working on live regeneration and mixed-use schemes. His project experience included Middlewood Locks in Salford, Thorpe Park in Leeds, Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park, Base in Edinburgh, and Station Quarter in Newport.
Working across these developments allowed Jake to build technical and commercial capability alongside his academic studies, applying theory directly to practice and gaining exposure to the realities of project delivery within the property sector.
In May 2023, Jake was shortlisted for UKREiiF’s Top Apprentice of the Year, recognising his performance during the programme.
Following completion of his degree, Jake has been appointed to a full-time permanent role as Graduate Building Surveyor. He will now work towards his Assessment of Professional Competence (APC), with the aim of becoming a Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS)-qualified Building Surveyor, and will formally graduate in summer 2026.
Simon McCabe, Chief Executive, said:
“National Apprenticeship Week is an important moment to spotlight what modern apprenticeships can achieve, and Jake’s progression from apprentice to a permanent role within the business demonstrates the value of combining academic study with real project experience. Throughout his apprenticeship, he worked on live schemes across our portfolio, developing the technical and commercial skills needed to succeed in the real estate industry.
“His journey highlights why modern apprenticeships, alongside university study and other early-career pathways, must be higher on the Government’s agenda. Creating clear, well-supported routes into real estate, and other industries, is essential if we are to ensure young people have genuine opportunities to build long-term, sustainable careers.”
Reflecting on the milestone, Jake added:
“Completing my degree has been a huge achievement. Being able to combine studying Building Surveying with real project experience at SGI has given me a strong foundation for my career. I’m grateful for the support I’ve received throughout the programme and excited to continue developing as a Graduate Project Manager while working towards becoming RICS qualified.”
Over the last few years, Steel City Stadium at Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park has been steadily evolving. What began as a major investment in sporting infrastructure has grown into something much broader – a place to work, meet, train, collaborate and spend time. Now, we’re taking that evolution one step further.
We’ve submitted a planning application to introduce three new Padel tennis courts at Steel City Stadium, as part of our continued long-term investment in both the Stadium and Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park. The proposed courts will sit on the same level as the main Stadium concourse, giving players direct access to the existing 3G pitch, café, changing facilities and toilets, as well as the Stadium’s growing flexible workspace community. Subject to planning approval, we’re aiming for the courts to be open and in use by summer 2026.
This submission builds on a sustained programme of investment across the Park. To date, we’ve invested more than £10 million in delivering Steel City Stadium, including the grandstand, supporting amenities and core infrastructure. Earlier this year, we completed a further £500,000 enhancement to the ground floor, introducing a new coworking lounge alongside a performance nutrition café operated by Sheffield-based Food Fusion. Together, these additions have helped establish Steel City Stadium as the informal front door to Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park; a place where founders, SMEs, researchers, athletes and students naturally come together to work, meet and collaborate.
Introducing Padel builds directly on that momentum. One of the fastest-growing sports in the UK and Europe, Padel combines elements of tennis and squash to create a fast-paced, sociable and highly accessible game for players of all ages and abilities. Despite its rapid growth, high-quality Padel facilities in South Yorkshire remain limited, and demand continues to rise.
The proposed courts have been designed to full international standards, with high-quality lighting and supporting infrastructure to ensure a consistently strong playing experience throughout the year. Just as importantly, they’ve been carefully designed to sit comfortably within the existing Stadium environment, feeling like a natural extension of everything that already happens here.
Steel City Stadium sits at the heart of an 80-acre innovation campus that brings together elite sport, applied research, clinical expertise and education. The Park is already home to more than 30 organisations, and our wider vision includes delivering up to one million square feet of workspace, research facilities and supporting amenities. The aim is to reinforce Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park’s position as one of the UK’s most important destinations for health, sport and wellbeing innovation, while ensuring it remains an active, welcoming place for the wider community.
Submitting this planning application marks another milestone in the Stadium’s ongoing evolution. We’ve invested significantly over recent years, from delivering the grandstand to opening the café and coworking lounge, and we remain committed to creating a vibrant, inclusive and active destination. If planning consent is granted, we’re ready to move quickly and bring a much-needed new opportunity for participation, wellbeing and community connection to the Park.
As Scott McCabe, Director at Scarborough Group International, explains:
“This planning submission is another important step in the continued evolution of Steel City Stadium. We’ve invested considerably in the Stadium over recent years, from delivering the grandstand to opening the café and coworking lounge, and we’re committed to ensuring it continues to grow as a vibrant, inclusive and active place for the whole community.
“Padel is a sport growing at remarkable pace across the UK, and if consent is granted, we’re ready to deliver these courts quickly, bringing a much-needed new opportunity for participation, wellbeing and community connection to Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park.”
Our CEO, Simon McCabe, recently took part in a webinar hosted by OakNorth Bank looking at what’s ahead for commercial real estate in 2026.
Hosted by Greg Manson, Director of Debt Finance, the session also featured Oliver du Sautoy, Head of Research at Lambert Smith Hampton. Together, they discussed the practical realities shaping offices, retail and mixed-use, and what that means for those making decisions over the next year.
You can watch the full session below:
Our CEO, Simon McCabe, recently joined Ezra Nahome on the LSH Talks: Property People podcast for a conversation on leadership, legacy and the role relationships play in property.
The discussion covers Simon’s leadership approach, shaped by a competitive sporting background, the story of Scarborough Group International, and the long-standing relationship with Lambert Smith Hampton. Together, they reflect on why property remains a people business, and the responsibility developers have to create places that stand the test of time.
Public art is a key part of how we create places with identity and at Base, we’re putting that into practice. We’ve launched a sculpture design competition with Edinburgh College of Art (ECA), inviting students to design a permanent public artwork for Base, our landmark Grade A office redevelopment in West Edinburgh.
Base is our transformation of the former Younger Building on Redheughs Avenue into a c.90,000 sq ft modern workplace, designed around flexibility, sustainability and people. The sculpture commission forms part of our wider placemaking strategy, with the artwork intended to act as a distinctive focal point at the building’s main arrival point, contributing to the character and identity of West Edinburgh’s evolving business district.
We marked the launch of the competition with a site visit on 8 January 2026, bringing participating students together with the professional design team behind Base. The visit gave students the opportunity to experience the building and its public realm first-hand, to understand the context for the proposed sculpture, and to discuss the brief directly with the architects and engineers delivering the project.
Nicola Bulley, Group Marketing & Business Development Director at SGI, said:
“This competition reflects our wider Responsible Business commitment as a group, combining social value with placemaking in a very tangible way. By commissioning a permanent piece of public art, we’re using creativity to shape the sense of arrival and identity at Base, while working in collaboration with Edinburgh College of Art to support emerging talent and contribute to the cultural life of the city.”
The competition is supported by the professional team delivering Base, including lead architect AHR and engineering consultancy Buro Happold, both of whom are on hand to provide advice to the students throughout the process.
Manisa Mistry, Associate Director at AHR, commented:
“We’re proud to be supporting the students as they bring their ideas to life through a project that reflects our commitment to thoughtful placemaking and the reuse of existing buildings. Base shows how careful redevelopment can retain the value of what’s already there while creating a healthier, people-focused place for the future. Working with Scarborough Group International and Edinburgh College of Art, it’s been a pleasure to connect young people with a real project that will have a lasting presence in West Edinburgh.”
Erlend Scott, Associate Director at Buro Happold, added:
“Public art has the power to transform spaces and create a sense of identity, which is why we’re excited to support this competition. Collaborating with Edinburgh College of Art gives students a unique opportunity to engage with real-world design challenges, while ensuring the sculpture complements the engineering and architectural vision for Base. It’s a great example of how creativity and technical expertise can come together to shape inspiring places.”
Dr Marcus Jack, Director of Outreach and Lecturer in Contemporary Art Theory at Edinburgh College of Art, said:
“Scarborough Group has extended a wonderful offer to the students at Edinburgh College of Art to realise a large-scale public artwork in our city. This commission is a fantastic springboard for an artist at the very start of their career and we can’t wait to see how their ideas will take form.”
The competition will progress through shortlisting and further design development, with one final proposal selected for installation in summer 2026 and a public unveiling planned later in the year.
Bailey Hardy is a 16-year-old winger who started playing rugby league at Lock Lane and now forms part of the Leeds Rhinos academy setup, having progressed through the club’s scholarship programme.
During the 2025 season, Bailey was part of the Under-16s Scholarship side that recorded six wins from eight matches. He delivered several standout performances, including a hat-trick against Wakefield, and was later named among a record group of players offered academy terms ahead of the 2026 season.
Rugby league runs in the Hardy family. Bailey’s older brother, Jacob Hardy, is also part of the Leeds Rhinos academy pathway, while their father, Ryan Hardy, previously played professionally for Dewsbury Rams and Castleford Tigers, alongside spells at Lock Lane.
We’re sponsoring Bailey for the 2025/26 season as he continues his development within the academy.
Bailey said:
“I started playing rugby at Lock Lane when I was young and have worked my way through the Rhinos system, so having support like this means a lot. It allows me to stay focused on my development as I continue my time in the academy.”
Lucy Hetherington, Business Development Manager at Leeds Rhinos, added:
“We would like to thank Scarborough Group International for their player sponsorship of Bailey Hardy for the 2026 season.”
Supporting young people and community-based initiatives is part of how we contribute in places where we have a long-term presence. Leeds is one of those locations. We are the developer of Thorpe Park Leeds, one of the city’s largest mixed-use business parks, and we are currently working on a revised masterplan for the next phase of the scheme. We are also progressing plans for the redevelopment of the Old Medical School site.
Nicola Bulley, Group Marketing & Business Development Director, concluded:
“As part of our responsible business commitment, we focus on creating clear development pathways for young people, particularly through sport. Starting at community level is key to encouraging participation and long-term commitment. Bailey’s progression reflects the value of that approach, and we’re supporting him as he continues through the academy.”
Alongside our direct support, our charitable arm, The Scarborough Group Foundation, has provided close to £100,000 this year to charities and community groups working across health, education and wellbeing. This includes support for Leeds Hospital Charity and work linked to the Rob Burrow Centre for MND, as well as organisations supporting young amputees, unpaid carers, bereaved military families, vision-impaired veterans, children with disabilities and families receiving end-of-life care. Since its inception, the Foundation has donated £2.4m.
Breakthroughs in heart health increasingly depend on research that connects scientists, clinicians, technologists and communities. By supporting the British Heart Foundation’s (BHF) health innovation programme, we’re helping to strengthen a pipeline of research-driven ideas that aim to change how heart and circulatory conditions are understood, managed and supported across the UK.
The programme focuses on developing practical, evidence-based solutions that translate research insights into everyday tools and resources. Whether through new approaches to information, improved pathways to support or community-tested innovations, the BHF is working to bridge the gap between research and real-world impact. Our contribution reflects a shared belief that early-stage experimentation, collaboration and pilot projects are critical to moving new ideas into practice.
This partnership also complements the evolution of our own innovation ecosystem. Through projects such as Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park and the redevelopment of the Old Medical School in Leeds, we’re creating environments where academic research, healthcare expertise and industry innovation can converge. These spaces are designed to accelerate discovery, strengthen local research capability and support the national ambition to grow high-impact, place-based innovation clusters.
Scott McCabe, spokesperson for the Trustees of the Scarborough Group Foundation, said:
“Heart disease affects so many families, and the BHF’s work to make support clearer, earlier and more accessible is incredibly important. We’re pleased to play a small part in helping people feel more informed and better connected to the care they need, and this sits naturally alongside our focus on supporting health innovation across the region.”
Becca Compton, Trusts and Foundations Manager at the British Heart Foundation, added:
“We are deeply grateful to the Scarborough Group Foundation for their generous support of the British Heart Foundation. This gift will help drive our mission to ensure that everyone living with heart disease can lead a longer, healthier life. Partnerships like this are vital to our work, and we sincerely thank the Foundation for their commitment to improving the lives of people affected by heart disease.”
This support is part of a wider programme of charitable activity delivered throughout the year. To date, we’ve provided more than £83,315 to organisations working across health, education and community wellbeing, including charities supporting young amputees, unpaid carers, bereaved military families, people living with MND, vision-impaired veterans, children with disabilities and families receiving end-of-life care. Since the Foundation’s launch, we’ve donated over £2.4m, reinforcing our long-term commitment to strengthening the communities we serve.
By Nicola Bulley, Director of Marketing & Business Development
Real estate has always been cyclical, but the challenges facing the market today are unlike any seen before. Rising debt costs, stalled schemes, regulation and the drive towards net zero are reshaping the landscape, and exposing a clear need for specialist intervention.
For every project that’s progressing, there are others that have stalled. For every asset trading, there are those drifting into obsolescence and without a direction. Yet within these challenges lie opportunities, if you know where to look, and how to act.
That’s where Teesland Development Services comes in.
Development management has always been at the heart of Scarborough Group’s DNA. Reviving the Teesland name and brand gives sharper definition to that role, creating a dedicated platform designed to help lenders, investors, occupiers and the public sector unlock value from land and assets that have lost direction.
The market need has rarely been greater. According to Bayes Business School’s UK Commercial Real Estate Lending Report, around £32.6 billion of commercial real estate loans are due to mature in 2025, signalling continued refinancing pressure across the sector. This forms part of a multi-year trend following the low-interest financing cycle of the 2010s and early 2020s, when many borrowers locked in cheap debt at higher leverage.
Now, with elevated base rates, tighter credit conditions and shifting valuations, a growing proportion of those facilities are moving into refinancing or restructuring territory, creating significant challenges for lenders.
The drive to decarbonise the UK’s built environment is also accelerating and, for property owners, it’s becoming impossible to ignore. Energy performance is no longer a tick-box exercise; it’s a determinant of value.
Under the Government’s Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES), Proposals currently under consultation would require all commercial buildings to achieve an EPC rating of ‘B’ by 2030. If introduced, the implications would be far-reaching. Current estimates suggest that up to 85% of existing office stock would fall short of that threshold, representing billions in potential capital expenditure and a growing risk of stranded assets.
For landlords, the reality is stark; anything rated below EPC B could soon be unlettable, cutting off rental income and eroding asset values. Lenders and investors, too, face exposure as non-compliant properties lose liquidity and appeal.
Yet within that risk lies opportunity. The transition to a low-carbon economy is already reshaping demand, occupiers are seeking high-performing, sustainable workplaces that align with their ESG ambitions. For those willing to act, repositioning or repurposing underperforming assets isn’t just about compliance; it’s about building long-term resilience and value.
This is the new reality of real estate, where sustainability, viability and value are inseparable.
Across the UK, the public sector controls one of the nation’s largest and most complex property portfolios, over 1.7 billion square feet across more than 136,000 buildings, according to the Government’s State of the Estate 2023–24 report. Maintaining that estate costs taxpayers more than £21 billion a year, underlining both its scale and the urgency for reform.
Government strategy is clear; right-size the estate, improve quality and deliver a modern, sustainable public sector footprint by 2030. But reality often lags ambition. Fragmented ownership, ageing assets and limited in-house delivery capacity frequently slow progress, leaving valuable land and buildings under-utilised or obsolete.
That inertia carries a cost, financial, social and environmental. Every year of delay locks up capital, inflates maintenance costs and prevents these assets from being repurposed to support housing, jobs and community use.
By combining public-sector ambition with private-sector delivery, dormant value can be unlocked and regeneration accelerated. For councils, NHS trusts and government bodies, property isn’t a liability, it’s a catalyst for renewal.
While headlines focus on stress, we see potential. Across the UK, viable projects are stalled, assets underperforming, and public estates underused. Teesland Development Services steps in to unlock that value, stabilising, repositioning and delivering where others can’t.
Our capability is built on a proven track record of delivery. Originally reorganised and expanded under Scarborough Group’s ownership in the 1990s, Teesland grew into one of the UK’s leading development and fund management businesses, managing over £5 billion of assets across 14 countries before its sale to Valad of Australia in 2007. Today, that legacy of delivery underpins a new mandate; helping lenders, investors and the public sector turn complex situations into progress.
The market isn’t broken, it’s evolving. The next decade will belong to those who act with focus and foresight. Teesland Development Services is built for that moment.
We’re proud to be hosting and taking part in Sheffield’s first ever CEO Sleepout, which will take place at Steel City Stadium, part of Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park, on Monday 10 November 2025.
The national charity initiative, led by CEO Sleepout UK, brings together business and community leaders who will swap their beds for sleeping bags for one night to raise awareness and vital funds to help tackle homelessness and poverty across the UK.
Representing Scarborough Group, our Marketing and Business Development Director, Nicola Bulley, and Director of Innovation Ecosystems, Deb Hetherington, will be joining leaders from across Sheffield to brave the cold and sleep out in solidarity with those facing homelessness.
As Nicola explains:
“Too many families in our country don’t have the security of a safe place to call home. More than one in ten children in parts of London are effectively homeless, living in temporary accommodation, hostels, or worse, and that’s heartbreaking.
“One night outside won’t come close to what people facing homelessness go through every day, but the least we can do is show our solidarity, raise awareness and hopefully raise money to help.
“I’m really proud that Scarborough Group International is backing CEO Sleepout UK by opening up Steel City Stadium as the venue. It means a lot to see our community stepping up to shine a light on such an important issue.
Through our developments and charitable arm, the Scarborough Group Foundation, we’ve always been passionate about creating spaces and opportunities that strengthen communities and improve lives.
Hosting Sheffield’s first CEO Sleepout at Steel City Stadium is a powerful example of how this venue can be more than just a place for sport and business, it can also be a platform for meaningful social change.
Across the UK, more than 354,000 people are homeless – including 161,000 children – and in Sheffield alone, an average of 43 people sleep rough each night, according to figures obtained by CEO Sleepout UK.
This year, the charity launched its ‘At Your Doorstep’ campaign, which challenges business leaders to recognise that homelessness is not a distant issue – it’s one that affects people in our communities every day.
Bianca Robinson, CEO of CEO Sleepout UK, said:
“Homelessness is no longer hidden. It’s on our commute, outside our offices, in our communities, it’s at our doorstep. When you join a CEO Sleepout, you’re not just raising funds, you’re sending a message of solidarity and showing that the business world cares about the most vulnerable in our society.”
We’re also delighted to be joined by Professor Chris Low, Chief Executive of Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park, who will be taking part in the event.
Chris commented:
“With Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park’s focus on improving health and wellbeing, it’s important that our reach extends to supporting our most vulnerable communities. I’m looking forward to welcoming other business leaders to the Park and being part of something that will help change the lives of local people facing hardship and homelessness.”
The Sheffield CEO Sleepout takes place on Monday 10 November 2025 at Steel City Stadium, part of the Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park.
If you’d like to get involved, you can sponsor Nicola and Deb.
By Simon McCabe, Chief Executive, Scarborough Group International
As we approach Scarborough Group’s 50th anniversary in 2026, I find myself reflecting not only on how far we’ve come, but also on where we’re heading – the lessons we’ve learned, the partnerships that have shaped us, and how we can continue to make a meaningful contribution to the UK’s built environment in the decades ahead.
When my father, Kevin McCabe, left school at fifteen initially working on a building site, he couldn’t have imagined the scale of what Scarborough Group would one day become. From those early beginnings, through recessions, recoveries and international expansion, seeing us operate across more than a dozen countries, what’s kept us moving forward is a simple, unwavering belief that regeneration is about people as much as it is about property.
That philosophy has guided us for nearly five decades. From our roots in Scotland to major projects across the wider UK, Europe, the Far East and North America, we’ve built our reputation on long-term thinking, trusted partnerships and delivery that makes a difference.
Ours has never been a linear journey, and that’s what defines us. We’ve evolved with the market, adapted to change and stayed true to the fundamentals of creating value through placemaking, partnership and purpose.
Today, we remain focused on delivering large-scale regeneration projects that are transforming cities, communities and economies. At Thorpe Park Leeds, Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park, Brunswick in Scarborough, Flaxby Park near Harrogate, Middlewood Locks in Salford, Queensferry One in Rosyth and Base in West Edinburgh, we’re creating places that balance commercial strength with genuine social impact.
Each of these projects is rooted in the same ambition; to bring forward vibrant environments that work for modern life. That means high-quality workspace, homes, community assets, green infrastructure and amenities that support wellbeing. Together, these schemes represent millions of square feet of new employment space, thousands of homes and, perhaps most importantly, thousands of new opportunities for people to live, work and thrive.
If there’s one constant through Scarborough Group’s history, it’s collaboration. True regeneration doesn’t happen in isolation, it relies on partnerships built on trust, expertise and a shared vision of success.
Over the years, we’ve built enduring relationships with some of the most respected names in the industry, from design and construction partners to lenders, investors, legal advisors and agents, local authorities and various government bodies, many of whom have become an extension of our own team. Some of those relationships go back the full fifty years, while others are more recent, formed on the strength of our reputation as a reliable and collaborative partner.
These are not transactional connections; they’re built on continuity and mutual respect. When you work with the same teams year after year, across projects and market cycles, you develop an instinctive understanding of how to deliver, efficiently, responsibly and with shared accountability. That’s been one of the secrets to our longevity and consistency as a business.
It’s also what allows us to take on complexity with confidence, whether navigating planning challenges, managing large-scale infrastructure or creating the frameworks that underpin long-term, multi-phase regeneration.
As we look ahead to the next 50 years, the landscape for regeneration is becoming ever more challenging. Rising costs, higher interest rates and a planning system that too often slows rather than enables delivery all contribute to a growing viability gap. Add to that the pressure of sustainability targets and shifting investor sentiment, and the path to delivery can look increasingly narrow.
But challenges also create opportunity. Across the UK, there’s an enormous appetite for regeneration, from local authorities seeking delivery partners to investors looking for stability and long-term value. The question is how we, as an industry, collaborate to turn potential into progress.
That’s why partnerships remain at the heart of Scarborough Group’s approach, whether through public-private collaboration, joint ventures or, increasingly, development management structures via our newly-relaunched Teesland Development Services division that bring the right expertise to the table at the right time.
It’s also why, as part of our 50th-anniversary programme, we’ll be launching a thought leadership series exploring the ideas and issues shaping the future of property and regeneration. Through open conversations with partners, investors, local authorities and industry leaders, we’ll be delving into the topics that matter most, from planning reform and funding innovation to sustainability, social value and the evolution of our towns and cities.
Our hope is that it becomes a platform for collaboration and honest debate, a space to think collectively about what the next 50 years of regeneration should look like.
Across the UK, Scarborough Group has delivered more than 9.3 million sq ft of commercial space and 4,000 homes, with a further 10 million sq ft of commercial development and around 2,000 homes in the pipeline. But those figures only tell part of the story. What really matters is the impact; the jobs created, the communities supported, and the places brought back to life.
As we approach the Group’s 50th anniversary year, our focus remains exactly where it’s always been; creating places that endure, partnerships that deliver, and a legacy we can be proud of for generations to come. Looking ahead, we’re also exploring opportunities to sensibly expand once again into mainland Europe, a natural step for a business that has always looked outward and embraced new challenges.
And while the scale of our projects may have grown, the mindset that built this business hasn’t changed. We remain determined, pragmatic and progressive, working with humility but driven by the same pull, push and shove attitude that has underpinned our success from the very beginning.
It’s that combination of grit, consistency and belief that will keep Scarborough Group strong as we build for the next fifty years.
This week marks an important moment for the Forth Green Freeport (FGF) as it announces the appointment of its new delivery team.
As the developers of Queensferry One, a strategically significant 120-acre site at Rosyth and one of FGF’s designated tax sites, we’re pleased to see the Freeport moving into this crucial next phase. Queensferry One is set to play a central role in supporting the Freeport’s ambitions, offering more than 1.2 million sq ft of industrial and logistics space with direct connections by road, rail, air and sea, plus a range of long-term tax incentives designed to accelerate investment and growth.
The Forth Green Freeport has confirmed the appointment of an expert team who will deliver the ambitious vision to attract investors and bring major economic benefits for Scotland, while ensuring a high level of governance and adherence to the FGF’s Fair Work and Net Zero charters. Reporting to CEO Sarah Murray, Tom Morris joins as Trade and Investment Manager, Rhona McMillan as Governance and Operations Officer, Sharon Pryde as Skills and Fair Work Manager, and Dr Isobel Marr as Net Zero and Innovation Manager.
Commenting on the announcement, Sarah Murray said:
“This is an important day for Forth Green Freeport as we announce the expert team who will deliver the collective ambition of the FGF partners. We are working towards approval of the Full Business Case which will release £25 million seed capital funding later this year.
In the meantime, we have been very active operationally. The FGF has working governance and operating Boards and we now have our skilled delivery team. We are excited to welcome Tom, Rhona, Sharon and Isobel who all have extensive professional experience in their respective fields and will be a great asset for us.”
Tom Morris will lead the delivery of FGF’s strategy to attract domestic and international businesses to invest and operate across its sites. He brings extensive international experience from senior roles at Shell, Cairn Energy, OMV and H2 Green. Rhona McMillan will work across the range of Forth Green Freeport activities, supporting both business and community programmes while ensuring strong governance and reporting. Sharon Pryde will lead the development and delivery of skills programmes in partnership with businesses, education providers and government, helping to address skills gaps and ensure adherence to the Fair Work Charter. Dr Isobel Marr will support businesses to embed sustainability and innovation practices, contributing to FGF’s net zero goals.
Approval of the Full Business Case will be a key step towards unlocking £25 million of seed capital funding, matched by project sponsors, to support underdeveloped sites and attract inward investment. The Freeport will focus on sectors such as offshore wind, hydrogen, sustainable fuels, modular manufacturing and logistics, supporting the re-industrialisation of Central Scotland and delivering large-scale economic regeneration over the next decade.
Chaired by Dame Susan Rice DBE and led by Sarah Murray, the Forth Green Freeport became operational on 12 June 2024. A detailed economic impact assessment projects that it will generate £7.9 billion of private and public investment, boost GVA by £8.1 billion, and create up to 34,500 well-paid, highly skilled green jobs across its tax sites at Burntisland, Grangemouth, Leith and Rosyth.
Queensferry One is uniquely positioned to support this transformation. As a designated Forth Green Freeport tax site, the development is capable of delivering over 1.2 million sq ft of industrial and logistics space, flexible build-to-suit opportunities and fully serviced plots, as well as unrivalled multimodal transport links including direct access to the Port of Rosyth. Its location provides immediate access to a skilled workforce and offers a range of tax and financial incentives for up to 10 years, making it ideally placed to support key sectors such as offshore renewables, hydrogen and advanced manufacturing.
We look forward to working closely with the new delivery team, fellow partners and future occupiers to help deliver the shared vision for a greener, more innovative and economically vibrant Scotland.
At Stadium Workspace, we’re creating more than just a place to work. As the physical front door to Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park, Stadium workspace is designed to build an innovation ecosystem where founders in the health, sport and wellbeing sectors can accelerate their ideas and growth. Whether just getting started or already scaling, founders benefit from a community, valuable connections and tailored support to help them take the next steps.
Through our partnership with Sheffield Technology Parks, we’re bringing the expertise and networks that have powered the city’s central hub for tech and science innovation, and putting them right here at the heart of Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park. Our ambition is to have a unique support infrastructure designed to help our founders and their teams to flourish.
This Autumn, things are stepping up a gear. Think free drop-in sessions with experts in investment, IP law, accountancy, cyber security and more, covering the tricky questions that keep business owners up at night. This month, for example, we’ve connected our community with MGRW Accountants, who specialise in helping tech founders turn ideas into thriving businesses with smart tax planning, mentoring and hands-on financial support.
But it’s not just about professional advice – we know founders need interaction, inspiration and motivation too. So, we’ve built a schedule of events to strike the right mix of learning and social connection. We’ve just hosted LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® with facilitator Angel Takoree, using creative play to unlock new thinking and deeper connections.
Coming up in October, our regular Stadium Social – this time in partnership with the Federation of Small Businesses – will feature health and wellbeing consultant Mike Lawrence, with a session designed specifically around our community’s needs. We’re also welcoming Women in Business for “Facials and Fizz”, a networking event with a refreshing twist of fun and self-care.
And if your schedule’s too packed for events, we’ve got you covered with an ongoing stream of valuable content including insights, advice and stories from our community and the wider ecosystem, so you never miss out on the knowledge and expertise that flows through Stadium Workspace.
Because being here isn’t just about renting an office or coworking desk, it’s about plugging into something bigger: a community, an ecosystem and a support network that wants to see you succeed, and has the collective strength to get you there.
If this sounds like the kind of space you and your business need, we want to hear from you, and we’d love to welcome you to an event so you can experience it all for yourself. While priority access goes to those based at Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park, our events and workshops are open to the wider Sheffield business community.
Just drop us a message to find out more and get involved.
We’ve officially opened the doors to a new coworking lounge and performance café at Steel City Stadium – a place designed for people who want to push ideas forward. Entrepreneurs, researchers, athletes and students now have a space to meet, work and collaborate right at the heart of Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park.
The innovation hub has been designed to act as the front door to the Park, providing entrepreneurs, researchers, athletes, and students with a dedicated space to connect, collaborate, and accelerate ideas. This follows our £10m+ investment into Steel City Stadium and is part of our wider plan to deliver up to 1 million sq ft of commercial space across Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park.
Already home to professional clubs such as Sheffield Eagles RLFC and Barnsley FC Women, alongside more than 30 businesses including Medilink, Ice Hockey UK, and UK NEQAS, Steel City Stadium is strengthening its role as a hub where sport, health, and enterprise collide to drive growth, opportunity, and innovation.
The opening ceremony brought together civic leaders, investors, and community partners. Guests heard updates from Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust on the £24m National Centre for Child Health Technology (NCCHT), which is due to open at the Park in 2026, and from CEO Sleepout UK, who confirmed the charity will host its first-ever South Yorkshire event at the Stadium in November 2025.
Adding weight to the occasion, the Rt Hon Richard Caborn, former Sports Minister and founding Chair of Legacy Park Ltd, reflected on how the project has grown from an Olympic legacy ambition into a living, breathing model of innovation. He described the Park as: “the only place in the world outside a host city to carry the Olympic legacy name, and proof that Sheffield can lead the nation in showing how sport and health can drive social mobility, education, and enterprise.”
The event concluded with a plaque unveiling, ribbon cutting, and networking reception.
“Sheffield is a city of amazing sporting efforts, and Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park is at the centre of this. The way the city and its partners have come together to create and grow the Park is a real statement of intent for the next 20 years.
But this has never been just about buildings. It’s about creating an environment where elite sport, world-class research, and grassroots enterprise meet. Already, this lounge is buzzing—athletes grabbing recovery meals, entrepreneurs pitching to investors, students working alongside researchers. That mix is what makes Sheffield special.”
“Through our partnership with SGI, we’re here to nurture start-ups and scale-ups, ensuring Steel City Stadium is more than just a venue; it’s an accelerator.
This is the front door to Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park. It’s where people arrive, connect, and collaborate. For founders, proximity matters. Having investors, mentors, researchers, and elite athletes on your doorstep creates an ecosystem that can take ventures from idea to impact, right here in Sheffield.”
“Sheffield Children’s is delighted to be bringing the National Centre for Child Health Technology to the unique and thriving ecosystem at Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park.
Collaboration is key to advancing innovation in pioneering ways, and we’re already seeing huge impact through partnerships with our new neighbours on the Park. When the NCCHT opens in 2026, we’ll be welcoming world-leading experts from across academia, healthcare, industry, and technology to work together in exciting new ways to revolutionise children’s healthcare.”
The Brunswick Centre, a landmark of Scarborough’s town centre for more than three decades, has now closed its doors ahead of a major redevelopment that will see the site play a central role in the town’s regeneration.
In a symbolic farewell, long-serving members of the centre’s management and security team joined us to switch off the lights together, marking the end of one chapter and the beginning of another for this historic site.
Located on Westborough, the site has been a town centre anchor for over 140 years. The original Rowntree’s department store was built in 1882, becoming Scarborough’s first building to be lit by electricity and one of the town’s most prestigious shops. Rowntree’s later became Debenhams before finally closing in the late 1980s.
The building was demolished in 1988 to make way for the Brunswick Centre, which opened in July 1990 as Scarborough’s first fully enclosed shopping centre. For more than three decades it housed a mix of national chains and local retailers, drawing millions of visits and becoming part of the town’s everyday life.
The closure of the Brunswick Centre reflects the wider shift in retailing trends that has reshaped high streets across the UK. The rise of online shopping, changing consumer habits and the decline of traditional department stores – including Debenhams, Brunswick’s principal anchor store – have all contributed to falling footfall.
With many leases naturally expiring, we have carefully managed the wind-down of the centre to allow retailers time to relocate. Many have successfully moved elsewhere in Scarborough, helping to sustain activity on the high street.
Rachel Vickers, Senior Commercial Manager at SGI, said:
“Brunswick has meant so much to the people who worked here and the community it served. Turning out the lights together was our way of saying thank you, to reflect on its place in Scarborough’s story and to recognise the dedication of the team behind it.
Like many town centres across the UK, Scarborough faces challenges. Redeveloping this site gives us the chance to bring new energy and purpose to the high street, and to create a place local people can feel proud of once again.”
The redevelopment of the Brunswick site forms a key part of Scarborough’s regeneration strategy. Alongside wider investment in housing, culture, tourism and infrastructure, the project represents a significant opportunity to reimagine the town centre for the next generation, ensuring this historic location continues its long tradition of serving the community.
Refurbishment works are now underway at Base, our transformational redevelopment of the former Younger Building in West Edinburgh.
Scheduled for completion in Q2 2026, Base will set a new benchmark for out-of-town workspace in Edinburgh, delivering 89,863 sq ft of modern, sustainable and highly adaptable Grade A office accommodation across three storeys in a market where high-quality supply remains limited.
Located in one of Edinburgh’s most accessible commercial districts, Base combines direct tram, train and motorway connectivity with excellent onsite parking provision and significantly lower occupancy costs than city centre space, all without compromise on specification or amenity.
The refurbishment is reshaping the building into a smarter, more resilient workplace. A full decarbonisation strategy is underway, replacing traditional heating and cooling systems with a high-efficiency, all-electric VRF system. Refurbished air handling units will enhance air quality and thermal comfort with CO₂ and temperature control, while smart LED lighting, presence detection, sub-metering and a new building management system will optimise energy performance and operational control. Diverse fibre connectivity, robust access systems and real-time smart monitoring will future-proof the building for today’s digitally enabled ways of working.
Adaptability is at the heart of the design, with tenant-ready infrastructure able to support both full-floor single occupiers and multi-tenant configurations. Generous breakout areas on every floor will overlook a striking triple-height atrium, creating light-filled social spaces that encourage collaboration and wellbeing. These will be complemented by a ground floor wellness suite with showers and drying rooms. With 266 parking spaces, including 20 EV charging points, secure cycle storage, point-of-use water heating and an intelligent atrium shading system, Base has been designed to support sustainability, wellbeing and low-friction commuting.
Ross Jubin, Investment and Development Consultant, commented:
“Base is being reimagined as a smarter, more resilient workplace that reflects the way businesses operate today, and how they’ll need to operate tomorrow. Whether expanding, consolidating or simply seeking better value, this is a space that works harder, commercially, operationally and environmentally. With refurbishment now underway, we’re inviting early conversations with agents and occupiers looking for space that can flex and scale.”
Nicola Bulley, Group Marketing & Business Development Director, added:
“The name Base reflects the building’s core proposition: a flexible, foundational workspace from which businesses can grow, evolve or reconfigure at their own pace and on their own terms. Whether taking a half wing or a full floor, occupiers will find a high-spec, high-performance environment that works with them, not against them.”
Letting agents CBRE and Savills are marketing the scheme and engaging with occupiers ahead of completion.
To discuss opportunities at Base, please contact:
Angela Lowe at CBRE: angela.lowe@cbre.com
Mike Irvine at Savills: mike.irvine@savills.com
For updates, visit base-edinburgh.co.uk
We’ve rebranded our Management Services division as Teesland Development Services, reconnecting with our history while sharpening our focus on what we do best – delivering third-party development management at scale.
Launched 18 months ago as Scarborough Management Services, the division was created to provide outsourced development management services to real estate lenders, investors and occupiers. As demand has grown, it’s clear that our role goes far beyond “management”, it’s about de-risking projects, unlocking value and creating sustainable, income-generating assets. By bringing back the Teesland name, we’re putting development at the centre of our identity while drawing on a brand with a proven legacy.
Teesland has been part of our story before. Reorganised by Scarborough Group in the 1990s, it grew into one of the UK’s leading development and fund management businesses, managing more than £5 billion of assets across 14 countries before its sale to Valad of Australia in 2007. Reviving the name is about more than nostalgia: it signals our intent to carry that expertise into the complex realities of today’s real estate market.
Those realities are not straightforward. Many lenders are dealing with distressed or at-risk loans. Investors face tightening sustainability regulations. The public sector holds vast, underutilised land assets. And corporates are seeking turnkey solutions without in-house capability. Teesland Development Services is designed to meet those needs head-on.
From our headquarters at Thorpe Park Leeds, and with offices in London, Manchester, Sheffield and Edinburgh, we’re working with partners across the UK. The division is led by our Chief Executive, Simon McCabe, working closely with Nicola Bulley, our Group Marketing and Business Development Director, who is driving the growth strategy.
Nicola said:
“Over the past 18 months we’ve seen a growing number of organisations turning to us with projects that are complex, high-profile or strategically important. In those situations, what they need is a partner with the experience and insight to deliver with confidence. That’s exactly what Teesland Development Services provides, not only supporting the wider Scarborough Group and its joint ventures, but also working with lenders, investors, public bodies and corporates on projects across the UK. By bringing back the Teesland name, we’re making clear that development management is our focus and drawing on a heritage that shows we can deliver at scale. It gives us both the platform and the momentum to grow in line with the demand we’re seeing.”
Simon added:
“It’s fantastic to see the Teesland brand coming back into the mainstream real estate market. Teesland played a hugely-significant role in Scarborough Group’s history, growing into one of the UK’s leading development and fund management businesses with an international footprint. By reviving the name, we’re not only honouring that legacy but also carrying forward the values and expertise that made it so successful. This rebrand is about reconnecting with our heritage while applying that same experience to the challenges and opportunities of today’s market.”
By Adam Varley, Development Director, Scarborough Group International
The way people connect with places is changing. Out of town business parks, once defined by dual carriageways and expansive car parks, are being reimagined as vibrant, multi-modal destinations where sustainability and accessibility extend beyond the development of real estate. At Scarborough Group International (SGI), we believe this transformation is fundamental to building the resilient, attractive mixed-use communities of the future.
Thorpe Park Leeds, our flagship mixed-use development, provides a compelling case study. Over the last two decades, we have invested heavily in infrastructure and partnerships to make it one of the best-connected and most sustainable business park environments in the North of England. Today, it stands as proof that out of town does not have to mean out of reach.
Accessibility has always been a deciding factor in whether a business park thrives, but in 2025, the definition of accessibility goes far beyond motorway junctions. Employers are under pressure to demonstrate environmental responsibility and offer workplaces that support wellbeing, while staff want real choices in how they travel. The combination of rising ESG expectations, the cost of living, and the realities of hybrid working mean that connectivity is now both a practical necessity and a marker of long-term value.
At Thorpe Park, that thinking has been hardwired into the design and delivery of the place. Its strategic location at Junction 46 of the M1 and the completion of the East Leeds Orbital Route (ELOR) provides excellent road access into Leeds and the wider region beyond the city, but the real difference lies in the range of alternatives we have prioritised.
One of the most notable successes has been the introduction and expansion of the 164 and 165 bus services, operated by Arriva Yorkshire. When they were first launched, with initial developer subsidy, they filled a crucial gap in linking surrounding communities with the park. Since then, passenger numbers have grown dramatically, rising by around 45% between 2023 and 2024, and a further 20% year-on-year in 2025, with March alone recording a 28% increase. Those figures are remarkable at a time when the wider bus industry continues to face many challenges, but it shows that when services are reliable, convenient and well-promoted, people will choose them. This is why we continue to work with Arriva to support the services as a sustainable and, in some cases, essential form of transport for communities with few or no alternatives.
Alongside buses, Thorpe Park has steadily strengthened its walking and cycling credentials. The National Cycle Network Route 66 runs directly through the site, while an expanding web of local cycleways and traffic-free routes connect the park to nearby communities such as Colton, Garforth and Seacroft. Further connections are planned as part of Integral – the proposed Industrial and Logistics Hub at Thorpe Park – which will enhance access for neighbouring communities. As a result, walking and cycling are not just aspirational or ad-hoc choices but realistic, everyday options for many of the 7,500 people now working on-site.
Perhaps the most transformative addition to Thorpe Park’s transport mix will be the new railway station being progressed by West Yorkshire Combined Authority and Network Rail within the development. Backed by public sector funding as part of a wider programme of regional rail improvements, the station will place Leeds city centre just eight minutes away and significantly extend Thorpe Park’s commuter catchment to those communities located along the route it serves. Just as importantly, it will connect nearby communities, including new neighbourhoods along the ELOR, directly to the city centre. For thousands of employees and visitors, rail has the potential to become the most convenient and sustainable option, cementing Thorpe Park’s position as a truly integrated business and leisure destination.
This layered approach to connectivity has recently been formalised in our new five-year Sustainable Transport Plan, developed with TPS Transport Consultants. The plan sets an ambitious target of reducing single-occupancy car travel by at least 10% by 2029.
It builds on a strong foundation: a recent survey found that around 40% of people working at Thorpe Park already commute by sustainable means, whether by bus, train, bike, foot or car sharing. That figure is striking for an out of town location and demonstrates what is possible when a long-term commitment is made to travel planning, infrastructure and supporting behavioural change.
To accelerate progress, the plan outlines measures ranging from improved cycling facilities and electric vehicle infrastructure to bespoke Travel Plans for occupiers and car park management strategies. It also extends our ParkLife platform, which supports employees with everything from free bike maintenance and journey planning to discounts on sustainable travel. The emphasis is on collaboration – developers, businesses and transport providers working together to embed change rather than treat it as an afterthought.
The results matter for more than just transport. By broadening access beyond the car, Thorpe Park creates opportunities for people who might otherwise be excluded, supporting inclusive economic growth. By cutting congestion and carbon emissions, it aligns with the city’s climate ambitions and enhances wellbeing for the community as a whole. And by offering employers demonstrable sustainability credentials and access to a wider talent pool, it strengthens the park’s commercial resilience in a competitive market.
Looking ahead, the continued success of the 164 and 165 bus services to the south of the Park, the growth of active travel supported by high-quality end-of-journey facilities, and the arrival of the new rail station all signal a future where out-of-town no longer means out of touch. Thorpe Park Leeds demonstrates that business parks can adapt to changing expectations while leading the way in sustainable connectivity.
For Scarborough Group, this is not just about transport – it is about place-making, community and long-term value. Connectivity is no longer an add-on; it is the defining feature of a thriving, future-ready destination.
In sectors like tech, health, sports and wellbeing, workplace design matters more than ever. Today’s professionals are evaluating environments and amenities when considering roles, asking questions many employers haven’t yet addressed: Is this space flexible? Can I connect with others here? Does it support my wellbeing? Great workplace design answers these questions – giving people a reason to be here and, importantly, a reason to stay.
Attracting and retaining top talent is one of the biggest challenges for entrepreneurs and innovators. In a competitive landscape, your workplace isn’t just a physical asset – it’s part of your value proposition to exceptional individuals. A recent survey from the British Chambers of Commerce and Cisco found that only 27% of UK SMEs expect their teams to be fully on-site in the future, with the rest embracing flexible, high-quality spaces that make presence meaningful. This shift underscores how strategic workspaces are becoming essential in attracting modern talent.
And what does this look like? Think spaces that provide the human interaction and collaboration remote work can’t deliver, balanced with an environment that is conducive to focus, mental wellbeing, and the ability to recharge.
The evidence is clear: thoughtful design is fundamental to employee satisfaction – and satisfaction underpins loyalty. The WELL Building Standard, developed by the International WELL Building Institute, outlines how features like natural light, acoustic comfort and access to outdoor environments support health and wellbeing. A large-scale peer-reviewed study in the Journal of Building and Environment revealed that workplaces incorporating these WELL-aligned design principles saw occupant satisfaction jump from 42% to 70%, wellbeing increase by 26%, and median productivity rise by 10 points, alongside measurable gains in mental health. When people thrive in their environment, they’re far more likely to stay.
Design that promotes wellbeing doesn’t just benefit individuals – it correlates strongly with organisational success. The Oxford Wellbeing Research Centre analysed nearly one million employee surveys and found that high workplace wellbeing is linked to increased company profitability, value, and even stock market outperformance. In other words, great spaces support happier employees and more sustainable businesses. Look out for workspaces that integrate fitness amenities, feature restorative areas for focus or rest, and are close to nature, to power your business’s success.
Every sector has its own needs. For health researchers, it may mean quiet ergonomic spaces that support hours of concentrated work. For sports innovators, it might involve recovery areas and nutrition access integrated into the workspace. For tech entrepreneurs, it could be breakout areas designed for both focus and problem solving. For wellbeing pioneers, it’s access to nature and environments that align with their mission. These kinds of thoughtful touches make people feel seen, valued and connected – and that’s what keeps them engaged for the long term.
Even with flexibility, physical presence cultivates belonging and accelerates innovation. Studies show that coworking spaces enhance collaboration, mentorship, knowledge sharing and informal interactions that deepen connections and strengthen commitment. These serendipitous moments are powerful for retention because they forge bonds and embed a sense of belonging that virtual connections can’t replicate.
Today’s professionals are looking for more than just a job – they seek alignment with their values. The Enterprise Research Centre’s report shows that building more inclusive, purpose-driven workplaces is strongly associated with higher levels of innovation activity. This supports the idea that environments reflecting inclusivity, purpose and shared values act as powerful motivators for long-term engagement and loyalty. Professionals are scrutinising physical environments for what they say about an employer’s commitments; is the workspace accessible and inclusive? Is it energy-efficient? Is it connected to something bigger than profit? Keep these points front of mind when you’re looking for a business base where your team can grow and flourish.
At Stadium Workspace, located in the heart of Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park, we bring these principles to life. Flexible co-working areas allow teams to grow seamlessly, while high-spec meeting rooms provide the setting for investor pitches, research collaborations or strategy sessions.
Wellness-centred design – from natural light and restorative spaces to outdoor access – ensures that performance never comes at the cost of wellbeing. And with the Park’s unique ecosystem, members are surrounded by elite sports facilities, cutting-edge research centres, and a like-minded community of pioneers. Here, a health-tech founder can meet a collaborator over coffee, a sports scientist can step into a meeting with elite coaches, a wellbeing entrepreneur can host a community workshop, and a tech innovator can demo their latest solution in a state-of-the-art space.
Because when you build a workplace around the needs of today’s workforce, you don’t just attract talent – you keep it!
By Deb Hetherington, Director of Innovation Ecosystems
In healthcare, innovation is often seen as a flash of individual brilliance, a new piece of technology, a research breakthrough, or a clever spin-out. But in reality, innovation rarely happens in isolation. It thrives in the right conditions, with the right people, and in the right places.
That’s why the concept of innovation ecosystems has become central to how we think about progress in health and life sciences. It’s not just about generating good ideas, but about creating environments where those ideas can be tested, shaped, implemented, and scaled.
In this article, our Director of Innovation Ecosystems, Deb Hetherington, shares her insights on why ecosystems matter, and how they’re shaping the future of health and life sciences.
An innovation ecosystem is more than a loose collection of organisations. It’s a deliberately-designed mix of space, networks, partnerships, culture, and intent that supports the full journey from early-stage concept to real-world implementation, and crucially to scale.
In healthcare, this means bringing together universities, NHS trusts, startups, SMEs, corporates, investors, and policy-makers in shared environments where collaboration isn’t an aspiration, it’s the expectation. Ecosystems like these enable ideas to move from bench to bedside more quickly and more effectively. They improve patient care, accelerate time to market, and create commercial value through coordination and strategic alignment.
Place-making plays a pivotal role in how innovation happens. Not all workspaces are equal. Research shows that purpose-built innovation districts can be up to 20 percent more productive than generic city-centre offices. But it’s not just about productivity.
When environments are designed specifically to support innovation, they enable connection. Informal conversations in shared corridors or cafés often spark partnerships that formal meetings can’t. Access to specialist facilities such as wet labs, prototyping space, and clinical testing environments removes friction for those trying to move quickly. And by attracting mission-aligned organisations, these spaces build a culture where collaboration is normal, not exceptional.
Innovation doesn’t just need a roof over its head. It needs a framework that supports exploration, risk taking, and commercialisation.
One of the most effective frameworks for innovation is the triple helix model, where academia, industry, and the public sector work in close alignment. Each brings something essential. Universities offer research expertise and access to knowledge infrastructure. Industry brings commercial insight, investment, and often the practical drive to scale innovation. And within the NHS, clinicians, surgeons, and frontline staff are frequently the originators of new ideas, grounded in real-world challenges and patient needs.
When these forces align, ecosystems gain momentum. Innovation is no longer siloed or accidental, it becomes focused, accelerated, and grounded in purpose. Co-creation replaces handoff. Problems are identified by those who live them, and solutions are developed through shared effort. This shift builds trust, makes adoption more likely, and helps ensure investment is directed where it matters most.
Purpose-built environments make this kind of collaboration possible. When people with different expertise are brought together, across sectors, disciplines, and organisations, the barriers between idea, application, and impact begin to dissolve.
Around the world, we’re seeing how well-structured innovation ecosystems can deliver real results. In Toronto, the MaRS Discovery District brings clinicians and entrepreneurs together in a 1.5 million square foot centre in the heart of the city. It’s not just a building, but a carefully designed environment where collaboration is built into the fabric of the space and patient outcomes stay at the centre of innovation.
In Oslo, Science City is redefining how health innovation ecosystems function. Through strategic partnerships between global pharmaceutical firms, local start-ups, and research institutions, shared tenancy and joint programme design have created a highly commercial, collaborative environment. You can read more in our feature, Innovation Beyond Borders: Lessons from Oslo. Similarly, the Amsterdam Life Sciences District demonstrates how long-term joint ventures between academia and the private sector can embed innovation throughout both research and delivery.
These places succeed not just because of their infrastructure, but because of their clarity of purpose, alignment of partners, and openness to experimentation.
Here in the UK, cities like Leeds and Sheffield are building something just as ambitious, and we’re proud to be playing a role in it. In Leeds, we’re working with Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Leeds Beckett University, Nexus, Leeds City Council, and the West Yorkshire Combined Authority to bring the vision for the Old Medical School to life. The goal is to create a purpose-built health innovation centre that acts as a physical and cultural hub for collaboration, commercialisation, and improved patient outcomes.
At Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park, we’re doing the same, partnering with Sheffield City Council, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, Sheffield Hallam University, NHS South Yorkshire Integrated Care Board, Health Innovation Yorkshire & Humber, and the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority. Together, we’re creating a space where health, wellbeing, sport, and innovation meet, designed not only to inspire new ideas, but to accelerate them into practice.
These are not isolated developments. They are part of a broader, regional movement to turn bold ambitions into shared impact, using place as a catalyst for progress.
A key difference between high-functioning ecosystems and traditional commercial developments is the role of the ecosystem manager. Leasing space is not enough. Supporting innovation means understanding where an organisation is, where it wants to go, and what’s standing in its way. That’s why we start with diagnostic assessments, tailored conversations that surface opportunities, gaps, and needs.
From there, our role is one of curation. Many of the programmes, networks, and funding opportunities already exist. We don’t reinvent what’s working. We connect people to what is relevant. And where we identify gaps, we step in to create new partnerships, interventions, or activities to fill them.
This brokered model helps businesses move faster, reduces duplication, and keeps intellectual property, talent, and commercial value rooted in the region, benefiting both the organisations involved and the wider ecosystem around them.
Health innovation is about more than solving clinical problems. It drives growth, resilience, and long-term value. It creates confidence for investors, opportunity for researchers, better experiences for patients, and economic vitality for cities.
But most of all, it creates the conditions where innovation becomes routine, not rare. Where collaboration is expected, not exceptional.
Collaboration is the child of innovation. But collaboration doesn’t happen by accident. It happens in places built to support it.
In North Yorkshire, as in many rural and semi-rural regions, a delicate balance is constantly being negotiated between growth and preservation. On one hand, the county faces urgent needs – more housing, better infrastructure, economic resilience and climate action. On the other, it holds a deep-rooted sense of place – landscapes, villages and identities that generations have shaped and cherished.
Yet when talk turns to development, the conversation often narrows to numbers. How many homes? How much land? How fast can we build? These are necessary questions – but they miss the deeper issue. The real question is: what kind of growth do we want – and who is it for?
This is where the idea of ‘strategic growth’ becomes so important. This isn’t a throwaway technical term used in planning; rather it’s a mindset for delivering homes, employment, healthcare and education, in a way that prioritises quality, coherence and long-term value. Strategic growth is about placing development in the right locations, with the right infrastructure, at the right scale. It means building places – not just projects.
North Yorkshire Council now has a rare opportunity to shape that kind of future. As a newly-formed unitary authority preparing a new Local Plan, it can step back from past patterns and think boldly about the next generation of communities.
Because the truth is, much of the region’s recent development has been piecemeal and reactive -small housing estates on the edge of villages, or infill schemes disconnected from services and infrastructure. Growth that happens to places rather than with them. This concern is recognised in the Council’s Issues and Options Consultation, which highlights the limitations of “dispersed smaller sites which may not support services or public transport effectively,” and acknowledges that such patterns “can make it harder to secure infrastructure or contribute to sustainable patterns of growth”[1]. Communities, too, have voiced frustration that development can feel imposed rather than inclusive – calling for growth that genuinely supports local needs and values.
Strategic growth offers a different path. Instead of dispersing development across dozens of isolated sites, it focuses on creating well-planned locations where housing, jobs, transport, schools, healthcare and green space are delivered together. Places that are designed as communities – not just as numbers on a spreadsheet.
This is not just a theoretical ambition. We’ve already seen what it can look like – and we’ve seen it succeed.
Twenty-five years ago, a 300-acre site on the edge of Leeds was just farmland. Today, it’s Thorpe Park Leeds – one of the region’s most successful mixed-use destinations. Over 7,500 people now work there, across 1.4 million square feet of offices, retail and leisure space, 300 homes delivered by Redrow and 150 acres of public realm. But the story is not just one of economic growth. It’s one of planning vision.
Originally conceived in the 1990s as a conventional out-of-town business park, Thorpe Park Leeds underwent a transformational shift in 2010, when we reimagined it as a mixed-use community with placemaking, infrastructure and sustainable growth at its core.
Early investment in connectivity – including a new bridge over the TransPennine Railway, carrying the link road that enabled the construction of the East Leeds Orbital Route – helped unlock not just the site itself, but the broader East Leeds Extension, one of the city’s largest residential expansion zones.
The addition of The Springs, a vibrant retail and leisure centre, and landmark offices such as Paradigm, Lumina and No. 1 The Square, further demonstrate how strategic planning can deliver far more than just floorspace. The future plans for Thorpe Park’s next chapter include an industrial and logistics hub, exceptional education facilities, health and leisure space, and up to 450 new apartments – adding homes across a range of tenures to the jobs and amenities already in place.
Thorpe Park shows what becomes possible when growth is coordinated, infrastructure is prioritised, and placemaking is taken seriously from the start.
This is the power of strategic growth. It enables local authorities and developers to plan and deliver infrastructure at scale – not retrofitted in response to pressure, but embedded from the outset. It supports the creation of places where people can live, work, learn and thrive with a lower environmental footprint. Where green spaces, active travel routes and public transport are integral to the design – not added under strain, but considered as essential components of place. This approach also complements well-planned expansion of existing settlements, particularly where local services can accommodate growth or be upgraded as part of a coordinated plan.
It also offers a smarter way to meet climate goals. North Yorkshire has committed to becoming the UK’s first carbon-negative region. That target won’t be met through scattered, car-dependent growth. It will need new communities designed for sustainability – places where walking and cycling are viable, where homes are energy-efficient by default and where local employment options reduce the need to commute long distances.
And perhaps, most importantly, strategic growth takes pressure off places that are already under strain. By focusing development in the right locations, we can better protect rural character, avoid overloading small villages, and channel investment where it can have the biggest impact.
Of course, strategic growth is not just about big plans and grand visions. It only works if it’s shaped with communities, not in isolation from them. People want to understand how new development will support their quality of life, their children’s opportunities, their sense of place. They want to be part of the conversation – and they should be.
North Yorkshire’s Local Plan process is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to lead this conversation. To move beyond the politics of housing numbers and towards a shared vision for the kind of places we want to create.
Because growth can work for everyone, and is essential for the long term wellbeing. The real choice is whether we shape it – or let it shape us.
Scarborough’s Brunswick Centre will officially close to the public on 17 September 2025. This marks a major milestone in our plans to redevelop the site into SQ1, a vibrant new town centre destination.
The closure includes the multi-storey car park and public conveniences, as the building will no longer be accessible while preparatory works for redevelopment are underway. Signage will be in place to direct visitors to alternative nearby facilities, including parking at Falconers Road, St Nicholas Parade, and The Palm Court, and public toilets on Foreshore Road.
The Brunswick Centre has been a familiar presence in Scarborough’s town centre for more than three decades. Its closure marks an important step toward major new investment in the town, making way for SQ1, a new destination shaped by Scarborough’s character and future ambitions. The redevelopment will attract more visitors and deliver long-term benefits for local people, businesses and the wider community.
The closure aligns with the end of the service charge year and follows a period of gradual wind-down, during which we have supported a planned transition by allowing leases to naturally expire and offering flexibility to our longer-term tenants. Many occupiers, including The Fragrance Shop, Holland & Barrett, Toyland and Nomination, have successfully relocated within Scarborough, helping to retain popular brands locally and breathe new life into previously vacant units. We’re also pleased that Next is relocating to a larger store on Seamer Road. All tenants have received appropriate notice and support from us throughout the process.
While no businesses within the Brunswick Centre will remain open during construction, Poundland, which is located in a separate building, will continue to trade as normal.
We are proud to be leading the redevelopment as part of a broader programme of long-term investment in the town.
Mark Jackson, Project Lead said:
“The closure of Brunswick is a major step forward, not just for the project, but for the wider regeneration of Scarborough. While change can be disruptive in the short term, this marks the start of a much-needed transformation that will help the town centre match the strength of its visitor appeal.
“Scarborough already attracts over 23 million visits a year and outperforms major cities in dwell time and year-round tourism. The challenge has been keeping people in the town centre for longer, and that’s what SQ1 will help deliver.
“This is about more than buildings. It’s about reimagining the heart of the town and creating a place where people want to spend time, whether they live here, work here or are visiting for the first time.”
For updates, follow @SQ1scarb on social media.
Yorkshire is fast emerging as one of the UK’s most investable regions for healthtech and life sciences, and it’s doing so on its own terms. Long recognised for its research excellence, deep talent pool, and the scale of its NHS presence, the region is now uniting these strengths with renewed purpose and collaboration. We are proud to be at the centre of this momentum, supporting growth across the region by enabling the physical and strategic infrastructure within Yorkshire’s thriving triple helix ecosystem.
With a national shortage of lab and grow-on space driving up costs in the so-called Golden Triangle, Yorkshire offers a compelling alternative. The region boasts world-class universities, some of the country’s most innovative NHS Trusts, and a vibrant digital economy. It’s also significantly more cost-effective, supported by strong public-sector investment, and increasingly aligned through mechanisms like the White Rose Agreement – which fosters collaboration between leading institutions in West, South and North Yorkshire.
Kevin McCabe, Chairman and Founder, said:
“What we’re seeing now in Yorkshire is unprecedented alignment between public sector ambition and private sector delivery.
“We believe in the region’s potential not just because of what’s already here, but because of how well it’s working together. It’s our job as developers to create the space, structure and confidence for that collaboration to thrive over the long term.”
Our flagship project is the planned redevelopment of the historic Old Medical School in Leeds into a healthtech innovation hub – a landmark 75,000 sq ft facility designed to support start-ups, scale-ups, academics, clinicians and corporates under one roof. While the project is still in the planning stages, it reflects our broader commitment to inclusive, innovation-led regeneration. The centre will offer private office suites, coworking space, labs, and meeting and event space, wrapped in a tailored ecosystem of innovation support.
That ambition was on full display during UKREiiF 2025, when we co-hosted a high-profile fringe event at the Old Medical School in partnership with Savills. Titled Powering Yorkshire’s Healthtech Revolution, the breakfast panel brought together voices from government, healthcare, academia and industry – including the Mayor of West Yorkshire Tracy Brabin, Minister of State Karin Smyth MP, and Dame Linda Pollard, Chair of Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust – to discuss how developments like the Old Medical School and Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park are reshaping the region’s innovation landscape.
What makes our approach distinctive – and a genuine USP in a market crowded with generic “innovation space” – is the depth of support that will be embedded within the building. From curated community events and investor readiness programmes to clinical test-bed access and academic brokering, We are focused on building infrastructure that actually delivers outcomes, not just occupancy.
Deb Hetherington, Director of Innovation Ecosystems said:
“From virtual memberships to adaptable workspace packages, we’ve designed flexibility into the model,”
“But it’s not just about affordability – it’s about value. We’re co-creating a support environment with partners that helps innovators move faster, connect meaningfully with the NHS and universities, and stay in the region as they scale. That’s what makes this more than just a property play.”
Those partnerships are key. We are currently working with Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Leeds Beckett University and the University of Leeds, through Nexus, on a shared ambition to connect clinical and academic strengths with commercial innovation. While a formal MoU is under development, the collaborative intent is already clear. The Trust’s Innovation Pop Up, which has supported dozens of early-stage health businesses to date, is expected to take up residence within the Old Medical School post-redevelopment – providing a tried-and-tested gateway into the NHS for tenants.
Tori Critchley, Development Director – Innovation at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, said:
“The healthtech innovation hub at the Old Medical School will give us a dedicated space to cultivate NHS–industry collaboration in a new and more agile way.
“Staff from our Innovation Pop Up will be located within the centre, offering early-stage health-related businesses a clear point of entry into the Trust and supporting them to develop, test and scale technologies that directly improve patient outcomes. This is about creating the right environment to unlock real, lasting impact.”
Importantly, our vision for innovation isn’t confined to Leeds. The Group is also expanding Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park, a growing health, sport and wellbeing cluster anchored by Sheffield Hallam University’s Advanced Wellbeing Research Centre, the English Institute of Sport Headquarters and the UTC Olympic Legacy Park to name but a few. The two sites – Old Medical School in West Yorkshire and Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park in South Yorkshire – represent a joined-up approach to regional development, each with a shared sectoral focus but shaped by their local strengths.
This strategy reflects a broader ethos we share with our academic partners: collaborate to compete. By creating a distributed network of innovation assets across the region—linked by shared infrastructure, talent pipelines, and sectoral focus—we are helping Yorkshire position itself not just as a viable alternative to the Golden Triangle, but as a national leader in its own right.
It’s a model that aligns with the direction of travel in public policy. The West Yorkshire Investment Zone places healthtech and digital innovation at its heart, backed by financial incentives and skills commitments. The White Rose Agreement and Innovation Arc Strategy reinforce the importance of cross-city collaboration. Our developments give these policies form – real places, for real businesses, that deliver on regional and national ambitions.
Kevin added:
“What we’re building is a platform, a platform for investment, a platform for innovation, and a platform for change. It’s about creating the kind of high-impact environments that give people and ideas a reason to stay. For us, this is about legacy, creating places that not only succeed commercially, but help shape the future of healthcare and the economy for decades to come.”
For investors, the opportunity is clear. With rising demand for flexible, clinically connected innovation space and a pipeline of talent coming out of universities and NHS Trusts, our developments offer the kind of long-term, values-aligned growth opportunities increasingly in demand. They aren’t speculative assets – they are strategic interventions with embedded partners, growing markets, and tangible national significance.
Yorkshire’s health innovation story is only just beginning. But with us helping to lay the foundations, it’s already catching the attention of those looking to invest where impact meets scale.
Steel City Stadium has launched a new sports café concept, providing players, supporters and visitors with a relaxed, sociable space to enjoy before, during and after matches.
Open daily to the public, the café offers a professional yet informal environment throughout the week, with a performance-focused menu delivered by Sheffield-based Food Fusion. On evenings and weekends, when the pitch is in use for professional fixtures or community bookings, the space adopts a flexible matchday format, with live sport on screen, a focused menu tailored for supporters, and room for fans, families and teams to come together around the action.
Whether backing Sheffield Eagles RLFC, cheering on Barnsley FC Women, or taking part in grassroots sport, visitors can now enjoy a more welcoming and inclusive matchday experience, one that reflects the Park’s broader focus on community, wellbeing and participation.
The café sits alongside the Stadium’s floodlit, professional-quality 3G pitch and covered grandstand with capacity for 2,044 spectators, seating and standing. These facilities are available for evening and weekend hire by local clubs, leagues, schools and community groups, expanding access to high-quality sport in a managed, professional environment.
The sports café concept forms part of Scarborough Group International’s (SGI) continued investment into Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park, where it is the Council’s official development partner. As part of a wider regeneration programme, the Park brings together elite sport, applied research, health innovation and education, supported by over £180 million in public sector investment and home to organisations such as the Advanced Wellbeing Research Centre, Canon Medical Arena, and the forthcoming National Centre for Child Health Technology.
To date, SGI has invested more than £10 million in Steel City Stadium, including a further £500,000 to activate the ground floor by introducing the new café and coworking lounge for founders, SMEs and corporates working across health, sport and technology. Stadium Workspace, which also features serviced office suites on the first floor and traditional office space on the second, is powered by Sheffield Technology Parks which provides sector-specific support, expert guidance and access to a growing network of innovators.
Joseph Udall, Operations Director at Steel City Stadium, said:
“We’ve always seen Steel City Stadium as more than just a venue, it’s a catalyst for participation, innovation and community at Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park. The sports café concept is a small but important step in realising that vision, helping to activate the Stadium beyond the standard working week and making it a more engaging, accessible place for everyone who uses it, whether they’re playing, supporting or part of the wider business community.
“We trialled the format at a recent Sheffield Eagles fixture against York Knights and were really encouraged by how positively it was received, supporters stayed longer, used the space throughout the game, and gave us some great feedback on the offer. It’s a simple change, but one that adds real value to the matchday experience.”
During the week, the café plays a central role in the daily life of the Stadium Workspace community, as well as serving students, researchers and neighbouring businesses, offering a welcoming place to meet, work or recharge.
The sports café complements the Park’s wider ambition to create an open, community-focused destination, providing a flexible, family-friendly setting that connects people through sport and shared experiences. It also continues to show a range of live sport throughout the week, helping to keep the Stadium active and connected beyond fixture times.
In healthcare, innovation is often seen as a flash of individual brilliance, a new piece of technology, a research breakthrough, a clever spin-out. But in reality, innovation rarely happens in isolation. It thrives in the right conditions, with the right people, and in the right places.
That’s why the concept of innovation ecosystems has become central to how we think about progress in health and life sciences. It’s not just about generating good ideas, it’s about building environments where those ideas can be tested, shaped, implemented, and scaled. Our Director of Innovation Ecosystems, Deb Hetherington, explains in more detail.
An innovation ecosystem is more than a loose collection of organisations. It’s a deliberately-designed mix of space, networks, partnerships, culture, and intent that supports the full journey from early-stage concept to real-world implementation, and crucially to scale.
In healthcare, this means bringing together universities, NHS trusts, startups, SMEs, corporates, investors, and policy-makers in shared environments where collaboration isn’t an aspiration, it’s the expectation. Ecosystems like these enable ideas to move from bench to bedside more quickly and more effectively. They improve patient care, accelerate time to market, and create commercial value through coordination and strategic alignment.
Place-making plays a pivotal role in how innovation happens. Not all workspaces are equal. Research shows that purpose-built innovation districts can be up to 20 percent more productive than generic city-centre offices. But it’s not just about productivity.
When environments are designed specifically to support innovation, they enable connection. Informal conversations in shared corridors or cafés often spark partnerships that formal meetings can’t. Access to specialist facilities such as wet labs, prototyping space, and clinical testing environments removes friction for those trying to move quickly. And by attracting mission-aligned organisations, these spaces build a culture where collaboration is normal, not exceptional.
Innovation doesn’t just need a roof over its head. It needs a framework that supports exploration, risk taking, and commercialisation.
One of the most effective frameworks for innovation is the triple helix model, where academia, industry, and the public sector work in close alignment. Each brings something essential. Universities offer research expertise and access to knowledge infrastructure. Industry brings commercial insight, investment, and often the practical drive to scale innovation. And within the NHS, clinicians, surgeons, and frontline staff are frequently the originators of new ideas, grounded in real-world challenges and patient needs.
When these forces align, ecosystems gain momentum. Innovation is no longer siloed or accidental, it becomes focused, accelerated, and grounded in purpose. Co-creation replaces handoff. Problems are identified by those who live them, and solutions are developed through shared effort. This shift builds trust, makes adoption more likely, and helps ensure investment is directed where it matters most.
Purpose-built environments make this kind of collaboration possible. When people with different expertise are brought together, across sectors, disciplines, and organisations, the barriers between idea, application, and impact begin to dissolve.
Around the world, we’re seeing how well-structured innovation ecosystems can deliver real results. In Toronto, the MaRS Discovery District brings clinicians and entrepreneurs together in a 1.5 million square foot centre in the heart of the city. It’s not just a building, but a carefully designed environment where collaboration is built into the fabric of the space and patient outcomes stay at the centre of innovation.
In Oslo, Science City is redefining how health innovation ecosystems function. Through strategic partnerships between global pharmaceutical firms, local start-ups, and research institutions, shared tenancy and joint programme design have created a highly commercial, collaborative environment. You can read more in our feature, Innovation Beyond Borders: Lessons from Oslo. Similarly, the Amsterdam Life Sciences District demonstrates how long-term joint ventures between academia and the private sector can embed innovation throughout both research and delivery.
These places succeed not just because of their infrastructure, but because of their clarity of purpose, alignment of partners, and openness to experimentation.
Here in the UK, cities like Leeds and Sheffield are building something just as ambitious, and we’re proud to be playing a role in it. In Leeds, we’re working with Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Leeds Beckett University, Nexus, Leeds City Council, and West Yorkshire Combined Authority to bring the vision for the Old Medical School to life. The goal is to create a purpose-built health innovation centre that acts as a physical and cultural hub for collaboration, commercialisation, and improved patient outcomes.
At Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park, we’re doing the same, partnering with Sheffield City Council, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, Sheffield Hallam University, NHS South Yorkshire Integrated Care Board, Health Innovation Yorkshire & Humber, and South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority. Together, we’re creating a space where health, wellbeing, sport, and innovation meet, designed not only to inspire new ideas, but to accelerate them into practice.
These are not isolated developments. They are part of a broader, regional movement to turn bold ambitions into shared impact, using place as a catalyst for progress.
A key difference between high-functioning ecosystems and traditional commercial developments is the role of the ecosystem manager. Leasing space is not enough. Supporting innovation means understanding where an organisation is, where it wants to go, and what’s standing in its way. That’s why we start with diagnostic assessments, tailored conversations that surface opportunities, gaps, and needs.
From there, our role is one of curation. Many of the programmes, networks, and funding opportunities already exist. We don’t reinvent what’s working. We connect people to what is relevant. And where we identify gaps, we step in to create new partnerships, interventions, or activities to fill them.
This brokered model helps businesses move faster, reduces duplication, and keeps intellectual property, talent, and commercial value rooted in the region, benefiting both the organisations involved and the wider ecosystem around them.
Health innovation is about more than solving clinical problems. It drives growth, resilience, and long-term value. It creates confidence for investors, opportunity for researchers, better experiences for patients, and economic vitality for cities.
But most of all, it creates the conditions where innovation becomes routine, not rare. Where collaboration is expected, not exceptional.
Collaboration is the child of innovation. But collaboration doesn’t happen by accident. It happens in places built to support it.
Behind every successful regeneration project is a clear story, a sharp strategy, and the right person to deliver both. That’s why Nicola Bulley has been appointed Group Marketing and Business Development Director, taking on an expanded leadership role to drive our next wave of growth.
Since joining the Group more than four years ago, Nicola has shaped the identity and positioning of some of our most high-profile schemes, from Thorpe Park Leeds and Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park, to Square One Scarborough and Queensferry One Rosyth. Her work has helped elevate SGI’s reputation as a nationally-recognised investment and development business, while embedding a more strategic approach to brand, communications and engagement across the Group.
Now, as part of our senior leadership team, Nicola will take on a broader remit across business development, strategic partnerships and capital investment, with a particular focus on the expansion of our Scarborough Management Services division. She will also work closely with the executive team on investor engagement and joint venture activity at both a corporate and project level.
Alongside these responsibilities, Nicola will continue to lead SGI’s marketing and communications strategy, applying insight gained through her expanded remit to shape brand positioning, inform product strategy and deliver targeted campaigns with commercial impact.
Nicola brings more than 20 years of experience in commercial real estate. Prior to joining SGI, she held senior roles at Lambert Smith Hampton, most recently as Interim Head of Marketing and Business Development, and spent the early part of her career at CBRE, where she supported marketing across multiple business lines.
Simon McCabe, Chief Executive at SGI, commented:
“Nicola has been a big part of some of the Group’s most successful projects and she’s earned this step up. She understands how to tell the right story, bring people with us and open up new opportunities. This new role gives her the backing to go even further with that, not just across our commercial developments, but for SGI as a business.”
Nicola added:
“For me, marketing and business development go hand in hand. When you truly understand your audience, you can position your product more effectively and create impactful, engaging campaigns that open doors and, from there, build the kind of relationships that lead to tangible results.
“I’m extremely proud of what I’ve already achieved at SGI and this new role gives me the opportunity to play a more active role in shaping its next phase of growth.”
Nicola’s appointment marks another step forward in strengthening the leadership behind our mission: to create places where people and businesses can thrive, and to unlock long-term value through every project we deliver.
Middlewood Locks, our landmark, mixed-use development bridging Salford and Manchester city centre, has entered a new phase, with nearly 10,000 sq ft of retail, leisure and office space now released to the market.
Delivered as part of Railings, the third phase of the 25-acre neighbourhood, the four newly completed units are split across ground and first floors, offering canal frontage, shell finishes and full flexibility for occupiers to shape the space to suit their needs.
This next chapter builds on the momentum already established at Middlewood Locks, where more than 2,500 residents live among green public spaces, independent businesses, and waterside walkways. Over half of the planned 2,215 homes have been delivered to date, alongside essential amenities and a vibrant public realm, with future phases set to bring one million sq ft of additional commercial space including offices, retail, a hotel and more.
A joint venture between ourseles and Singapore-listed Metro Holdings Limited, Middlewood Locks is a long-term investment in place, connectivity and community.
Paul Kelly, Managing Director at SGI, said:
“We are delighted to present this latest commercial opportunity at Middlewood Locks that is ideal for office occupiers and any food, beverage or gym operator which will complement our existing Co-op convenience store and 92 Degrees coffee shop, which continue to thrive.
“The spaces have been thoughtfully designed to make the most of the beautiful canal side location with fully glazed frontage and an outdoor seating area to the ground floor units with the flexibility to be leased as a whole or subdivided to suit requirements. The upper floor units have equally stunning views of the neighbourhood and across to the city centre and are accessed via a double height private atrium space.”
Lyons Thompson Letts Property Consultants has been appointed to market the space.
Tim Letts added:
“Middlewood Locks presents a fantastic opportunity for any office, retail or leisure operator with a significant captive audience on the doorstep as well as major pedestrian flow through the neighbourhood leading to Manchester city centre.
“It’s an impeccably well-connected gateway neighbourhood, close to Spinningfields, St. John’s, New Bailey, Castlefield, and the many bars, businesses, restaurants, shops and world-class cultural experiences within the city centre.”
Click here to download the brochure
All enquiries:
Tim Letts – 0161 260 0061 | tletts@ltlproperty.com
Elliott Gagan – 0161 260 0075 | egagan@ltlproperty.com
The way we work is changing and, at Steel City Stadium, we’re responding with more than just space. We’ve created a new kind of environment featuring a coworking lounge and performance café that brings together founders, teams and innovators at the heart of Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park.
This isn’t just about desks and coffee. It’s about building the foundations for ideas to take root and partnerships to grow, a place where enterprise meets wellbeing, and where ambition is fuelled by purpose.
On 30 June 2025, we opened the doors to this latest phase of development, transforming the ground floor of Steel City Stadium into a vibrant, flexible hub for people shaping the future of health, sport and innovation.
With more than £10 million invested in the Stadium so far, and a further £500,000 into this new workspace and café, this is a continuation of our long-term commitment to the Park, and to creating places that enable people and businesses to thrive.
Ian Sanderson, Estates and Development Consultant at SGI, commented:
“By opening up the ground floor of the Stadium, we’re creating far more than just office space. We’re building a thriving community, a place where ideas can flourish, partnerships can form and wellbeing is prioritised alongside productivity.”
Stadium Workspace offers hot desks, private booths, breakout zones and event spaces, all designed for modern working life. Through our partnership with Sheffield Technology Parks, members also gain access to practical business support, funding guidance and a growing regional innovation network.
Whether you’re a solo founder or a growing team, it’s a space designed to help you go further, faster.
Next door, our new performance café, operated by Sheffield’s own Food Fusion, is redefining what workplace food can be. Grounded in sports nutrition and fresh, functional ingredients, it’s open to everyone, with exclusive offers for members.
Already home to more than 30 organisations, the Stadium sits at the heart of Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park, an 80-acre innovation district where education, clinical research, sport and enterprise come together.
Surrounded by institutions including Sheffield Hallam University’s Advanced Wellbeing Research Centre, the English Institute of Sport Sheffield and Canon Medical Arena, this is one of the most exciting places in the UK to build a business focused on health and innovation.
And for us, this is just one step in our wider ambition to create places with purpose, where people live well, work well and leave a lasting legacy.
To find out more or arrange a visit www.steelcitystadium.com or email workspace@steelcitystadium.com.
At Scarborough Group, we believe that innovation needs the right environment to thrive. That’s why we’re proud to be leading the next phase of development at Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park – a unique science and innovation park that’s helping position Sheffield as one of the UK’s most exciting launchpads for HealthTech businesses.
If you’re building a HealthTech business – whether in the early days of product-market fit or preparing to scale – one of the most strategic decisions you’ll make is where to base your company.
You need more than office space. You need access to clinical partners, real-world testing environments, talent, research, and a support network that understands both innovation and regulation.
Sheffield is quickly becoming a compelling launchpad for HealthTech businesses, offering founders and teams a connected ecosystem where academia, healthcare, industry and community come together in one place to help your innovation succeed.
Sheffield has always been a city that innovates, powered by its world-leading reputation in steel production and advanced manufacturing. Now, it is developing deep expertise in healthcare, wellbeing and social change, evolving into a national leader within these fields. And this isn’t just about infrastructure and facilities – it’s about the very unique mindset of Sheffield.
As a founder, you’ll find that Sheffield is built around the kind of collaborative, values-driven innovation that HealthTech demands. The city doesn’t just support population health from the top down – it lives it from the ground up with a rich tapestry of grass-roots sports, social inclusion and community healthcare initiatives.
That makes it the perfect testbed for HealthTech solutions. Whether your product is data-driven, community-focused or clinically embedded, Sheffield offers a real-world environment to validate your concept and grow it responsibly.
Building a HealthTech product isn’t just about code – it’s about evidence. In Sheffield, you’ll be part of an ecosystem anchored by two world-class universities with leading expertise in health, digital tech and translational research.
The University of Sheffield is a leader in biomedical science, healthcare engineering and digital diagnostics. Sheffield Hallam University, meanwhile, founded the Advanced Wellbeing Research Centre (AWRC) – a global centre of excellence focused on turning research into practical solutions for healthy living.
The AWRC, located right here at Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park, offers tailored programmes for startups, including the Wellbeing Accelerator, which gives founders access to R&D, testing facilities and academic support.
Alongside this, you’ll find deep partnerships with the NHS. Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust are nationally-recognised for innovation and are open to working with health tech companies to design, trial and evaluate new products.
At the heart of Sheffield’s ecosystem is Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park – the UK’s only Olympic legacy site outside of a host city, and a living lab for sport, health and wellbeing innovation.
Here, academic institutions, startups, healthcare organisations, schools and communities come together in one connected environment – creating a real-world testbed where ideas can move quickly from concept to clinical or community impact. Whether you’re piloting a prototype, running trials or gathering feedback, this is where theory meets practice.
One of the driving forces behind this collaborative environment is our ongoing partnership with Sheffield Technology Parks, one of the city’s longest-established tech incubators.
Together, we’re supporting a new generation of HealthTech innovators by creating the physical spaces and startup-friendly infrastructure needed to thrive. From flexible workspaces within the Steel City Stadium and mentoring to strategic connections across healthcare and academia, this collaboration is helping turn Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park into a launchpad for HealthTech with impact.
Scaling a HealthTech business brings specific challenges: navigating regulation, building partnerships with the NHS, managing procurement cycles, demonstrating impact and staying on top of compliance. Sheffield’s ecosystem is set up to help you with all of that.
Through initiatives like the previously mentioned AWRC Wellbeing Accelerator, Sheffield Innovation Programme, Sheffield Technology Park’s Cooper Project and partnerships with NHS Innovation Hubs, founders get access to:
And Sheffield’s compact geography makes those connections more accessible. You’re never more than a short walk, tram or bus ride from a research partner, a hospital innovation lead, a social care commissioner, or another founder tackling similar challenges.
Founders can move faster and go further in Sheffield – with the right support at every stage. This environment has already helped HealthTech ventures including:
Hero of Health, an AI-driven platform that helps patients access health services, resources and support. The medical experts behind this startup were able to tap into Sheffield’s supportive ecosystem when they joined tech incubator, the Cooper Project, run by Sheffield Technology Parks and have continued to thrive, securing Innovate UK grant funding and taking part in the AWRC’s Wellbeing Accelerator.
Nasalyzer, a digital diagnostic device designed to change the way gastric cancer is detected making it faster, easier and non-invasive. Co-founder, Luisa Carvalho, is a Microbiology PhD Student at the University of Sheffield and is deeply embedded in the startup ecosystem, as a member of the Cooper Project and Capital Enterprise’s Cancer Tech Accelerator – all providing vital support as she focuses on market validation and fundraising.
Simply Connect, a social prescribing platform, is targeting Sheffield’s integrated care environment to deploy and scale across VCSE partners, local authorities and NHS trusts. Another alumni of the AWRC’s Wellbeing Accelerator, founder Sirinda Bhandal, explains why this experience helped to kick start her business after she relocated from London:
“Being at the AWRC introduced us to the wider Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park, where we’ve been able to work with leading researchers and industry experts in the health, wellbeing and AI space. We’ve hosted events and meetings at Steel City Stadium which has been brilliant for our business development. It definitely felt like we were a part of something much bigger and gave us a step up.
“The ecosystem of support in Sheffield is second to none, so much more accessible than London. The ecosystem here spans across health, universities, industry and so many opportunities to collaborate and work together across sectors – which you don’t so easily get in the South.”
Unlike London or Manchester, where the ecosystem can feel fragmented and competitive, Sheffield’s HealthTech scene is cohesive, collaborative and personal. It’s a city that’s big enough to offer scale – but small enough that people pick up the phone.
You’ll find peers here who are generous with their time. You’ll find mentors and clinicians who are genuinely interested in what you’re building. And you’ll find a civic infrastructure that wants your innovation to succeed – because it fits a broader ambition to improve population health.
This shared mission is what makes Sheffield truly different. Everyone – from universities and hospitals to local authorities and schools – believes in the power of HealthTech to change lives.
Founders don’t just need a place to launch – they need a place to stay, scale and thrive. In Sheffield, that’s exactly what you’ll find. With support from organisations like Sheffield Technology Parks, Business Sheffield and Sheffield Digital, you can grow your team here, raise investment, develop a beta site and build a product that’s grounded in evidence and ready for the market.
If you’re a HealthTech founder looking for the ideal environment to innovate, connect, collaborate and grow, Sheffield is the city for you. It is a community with purpose, a network with genuine connections, and a launchpad with a track record.
This is where research meets reality, where clinicians meet coders and where social impact meets commercial success.
Take a tour of Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park and find your next workspace within the incredible Steel City Stadium. Our flexible offices, coworking lounge, café and meeting spaces are designed to encourage collaboration and creativity.
As we continue shaping Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park into a world-class destination for sport, health and innovation, we’re bringing in a homegrown name that shares our vision for wellbeing with impact: Food Fusion is set to launch a new performance-focused café at Steel City Stadium.
Born in Sheffield and built around the belief that food should fuel greatness, Food Fusion has become a trusted name among athletes and fitness enthusiasts. Their menu – where bold flavour meets functional nutrition- perfectly complements the Park’s mission to support healthier, more active lifestyles.
Opening in the coming weeks, the café will serve as both a nutritional hub and a social anchor – fuelling not just performance, but also connection. From elite athletes and researchers to students and entrepreneurs, visitors can expect balanced, energising options designed for modern lives.
This collaboration also strengthens our recently expanded coworking offer within the stadium, adding value to the growing business community we’re building. Since its opening in 2022, following our investment of over £10 million, Steel City Stadium has evolved into a vibrant focal point for Sheffield’s innovation ecosystem.
Ian Sanderson, Estates and Development Consultant at SGI, added:
“Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park is about bringing together sport, health, research and business to create a vibrant, world-class hub for innovation. We’re proud to welcome a local Sheffield brand like Food Fusion to the stadium, ensuring that our café reflects the high standards and ambitions of the Park, while staying true to the city’s roots.”
The Food Fusion team, Lisa, Dan and Steven, said:
“We’re incredibly proud to be partnering with Scarborough Group to bring Food Fusion to Steel City Stadium, right here in the heart of our home city. As a Sheffield-born business, our roots in South Yorkshire run deep, and this opportunity to play a role in the ongoing transformation of Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park means a great deal to us. We’re passionate about redefining healthy eating and making nutritious, performance-focused food accessible to everyone – from athletes and students to the wider community.”
We’re proud to announce a new partnership between the Scarborough Group Foundation (SGF), our charitable arm, and the Nick Matthew Foundation (NMF), strengthening our commitment to driving meaningful change in communities across the UK.
This new collaboration builds on SGF’s longstanding support for racket sports, including the establishment of the Scarborough Squash & Rackets Academy – a pioneering initiative launched to promote physical activity, inclusivity and youth development through squash and similar disciplines. The partnership with the Nick Matthew Foundation marks a natural evolution of this commitment, supporting programmes that use squash to engage and uplift young people with disabilities.
Inspired by three-time World Squash Champion Nick Matthew, the NMF works to make squash and other racket sports fully inclusive and accessible. Through inclusive coaching sessions delivered in partnership with local organisations like Talbot Specialist School in Sheffield, the initiative is helping young people improve their confidence, focus and physical wellbeing in a safe, supportive and fun environment.
Scott McCabe, Trustee of SGF, commented:
“As a family and a Foundation, we’ve always believed in investing in the potential of young people. This partnership with the Nick Matthew Foundation reflects our shared values and our commitment to using sport as a catalyst for positive change. We’re proud to help grow this brilliant programme and support more young people across Sheffield and the wider region.”
Nick Matthew, Founder of NMF, added:
“Scarborough Group has supported me throughout my professional journey, and I’m incredibly proud to continue that relationship in a new and meaningful way. This partnership enables us to give back to the community by making racket sports more inclusive and accessible. It’s about using sport not just for fitness, but as a tool to build confidence, resilience and joy in the lives of young people with disabilities.”
Prof. Dr. Stafford Murray, ECB Head of Analysis and Insights and Chair Of the NMF Trustees, commented:
“This collaboration between SGF and the Nick Matthew Foundation underscores the transformative power of sport. By creating inclusive environments and memorable experiences, we’re offering young people – particularly those with disabilities – a platform to grow, thrive and realise their potential. It’s a shining example of how sport can be a vehicle for social impact.”
This latest partnership complements SGF’s expanding charitable portfolio. In the first quarter of 2025 alone, the Foundation supported a diverse range of organisations, including Leeds Hospital Charity, Limb Power, Scotty’s Little Soldiers, Racquets Cubed and West Coast Wheelchair Rugby – each selected for their impact on health, education and community wellbeing.
What if the next big health tech breakthrough didn’t come from Oxford, Cambridge or London – but from Leeds, Sheffield or York?
It’s not a long-shot. It’s already happening.
From the repurposing of Leeds’ Grade II*-listed Old Medical School into a cutting-edge innovation space, to the growing footprint of Sheffield’s Olympic Legacy Park, Yorkshire is one of the UK’s most promising health tech hubs. At the heart of it? A rare alignment between the public, private and academic sectors – turning big ideas into real-world change.
That’s the question more investors and policymakers are asking. And the answer comes down to a mix of practical and strategic advantages: available space, civic ambition, deep-rooted sector expertise and a strong appetite to not just create innovation – but keep it here and help it grow.
Scarborough Group International is one of the players helping drive that change. We’re not just developing buildings – we’re helping shape the ecosystem.
Deb Hetherington, Director of Innovation Ecosystems at SGI, commented:
“We’re curating spaces designed to bring people together – start-ups, researchers, clinicians, policy-makers and investors – all under one roof, Yorkshire’s always had strong research and health credentials. Now the focus is on turning that into real, scalable impact.”
This isn’t just about shiny new buildings. There’s real policy muscle and financial commitment behind the vision.
In April 2025, Health Innovation Yorkshire & Humber, in partnership with the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, announced a £4.5 million investment to launch the West Yorkshire Health Tech Accelerator. Funded through the region’s new Investment Zone, the programme will support up to 240 health tech innovators between now and 2029.
Building on the success of Propel@YH, the accelerator will offer targeted business support, masterclasses, and hands-on help to scale innovations into the NHS – while also attracting investment and boosting regional growth.
Because in this space, one thing is clear: innovation without adoption is just theory.
Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire, said:
“The first priority of our Local Growth Plan is to boost our region’s fastest growing business sectors, because we know that’s how we’re going to drive investment, create jobs and put more money in people’s pockets.
“We launched our growth plan and our investment zone with new, wrap-around support for our world-leading health technology firms, which already generate £3 billion for our economy but could go even further with the right backing.
“Our flagship Health Tech Accelerator will support these businesses with finance and skills, and our investments in new workspaces will bolster their collaboration with hospitals and universities, boosting their growth and helping us build a stronger, brighter West Yorkshire.”
One of Yorkshire’s biggest strengths? It’s starting to act like a single, joined-up region.
Take the White Rose Agreement – a rare cross-county pact signed by the mayors of West, South and North Yorkshire. It’s more than a handshake. It signals a real shift in mindset: moving from competition to collaboration.
That kind of alignment is unlocking shared investment in skills, infrastructure and digital capability – all essentials if health tech is going to thrive here long term.
Yorkshire’s health tech approach isn’t just about copying what’s worked elsewhere – it’s about adapting smart ideas to local strengths.
Deb Hetherington, for example, recently explored what places like Oslo Science City are getting right. The takeaway? Purposeful design, good governance and spaces that break down silos matter – a lot.
“Oslo is a great example of how shared vision and design can foster a culture of connected innovation, we’re applying the same principles here – but making them work for Yorkshire.” she added.
That means creating environments where a clinical researcher might bump into a machine learning expert in the café, or where a health start-up can quickly find a testbed in the NHS.
Professor Phil Wood, Chief Executive, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust said:
“Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust has a long history of working in close collaboration with partners to deliver exciting health tech innovation. We already have a well-established Innovation Pop Up which supports the latest advances in science, research and technology into real-world solutions and we’re taking this even further with the redevelopment of the Old Medical School which will be transformed into a new cutting-edge health innovation hub, connecting innovators and delivering significant economic benefit.”
There’s a familiar story in UK innovation: a great idea is born, incubated… then scaled in London or overseas.
Yorkshire is flipping that script.
That’s why the region is investing in the full lifecycle – from student-led spinouts and lab prototypes, to high-growth ventures looking for long-term space and funding.
Projects like the Old Medical School in Leeds and Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park aren’t just short-term showcases – they’re built for the long haul.
“We’re building a pipeline that retains both talent and value, so businesses don’t feel they have to leave the region to grow.” Deb added.
Professor Nick Plant, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research and Innovation at University of Leeds said:
“The Old Medical School as a health tech innovation hub exemplifies Leeds’ place-based innovation strategy. Investment in this area will help bring together a wealth of talent to develop exciting technologies to address some of society’s biggest healthcare problems. It will build on the University’s international track-record in health tech and strong relationship with the NHS Trust, streamlining the path to clinical translation with the potential for far-reaching global impact. The funding will enable collaboration between industrial, academic and clinical partners and will help transform Leeds into a world leader in connected, innovation-driven and challenge-led health tech.”
What could success look like five years from now?
Ed Whiting, Chief Executive of Leeds City Council said:
“Our ambition is clear: to make Leeds a globally recognised centre for innovation, one that not only drives economic prosperity but also delivers measurable and meaningful impact towards a healthier, greener, and more inclusive future for all.
“With over 300 companies in health and health tech choosing to base themselves in our city, it’s clear that Leeds is already a major force in powering Yorkshire’s health tech revolution. Our £2 billion Leeds Innovation Arc, which includes some of the most significant public, private and third sector assets in the North, coupled with the exciting delivery of key projects within the West Yorkshire Investment Zone, provides a powerful platform for growth alongside the unwavering commitment of our anchor institutions, businesses and communities.”
Maybe it’s a cluster of Yorkshire-grown med tech firms competing globally. Maybe it’s a region where the NHS and innovation sector work hand-in-hand. Or maybe it’s simply a place known for making collaboration work – and making health outcomes better in the process.
In reality, it’s probably all of the above.
With vision, leadership and the right kind of backing, Yorkshire isn’t just a hopeful contender on the international stage. It’s a serious player.
So the real question now? Who’s ready to back it?
As most major cities across the UK showcase their various innovation campuses, hubs, centres of excellence and science parks, how do you scratch the surface and find the substance behind the sales pitch? What are the crucial differentiators and where does Leeds stand in all this? Our latest spotlight explores how transformational real estate developments signal a real opportunity in a city transforming health and care.
With ‘growth’ at the heart of the UK Government’s agenda and an increasing urgency to find enduring solutions to pervasive health challenges, are shiny innovation locations – however full of talent and resource – really enough?
As Leeds once again gears up to host the UK’s leading real estate event this month, UKREiiF, we explore what’s behind one of the city’s most exciting property developments to date and why it reconfirms Leeds as prime location for health innovation.
Innovation in healthcare is switching to the fast lane in Leeds as partners shape a globally-leading approach to supporting businesses set to occupy the city’s soon-to-be transformed historic Old Medical School.
Located in the heart of Leeds, the transformation will blend historical architecture with 21st-century digital and clinical infrastructure — designed specifically for start-ups, scale-ups, and partners building the future of healthcare.
But it’s not just about property redevelopment. Leeds is already well known for its enviable state-of-the-art innovation spaces and rich history in health innovation. City partners know something more is needed.
What sets apart this emerging new health tech innovation hub is that businesses within the redeveloped site will supercharge their growth through the support of an exclusive, bespoke service as part of their tenancy.
That service is part of a novel agreement last year between ourselves and Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust from whom we agreed to acquire the site.
The support service will be the crucial oil on the wheels, helping industry innovators quickly capitalise on the opportunities across Leeds’ healthcare and academia to develop, deploy and scale their solutions.
We’re not ashamed to say that we work differently to most, importing a global mindset while remaining committed to local impact.
“We move right into the detail and complexity of innovation ecosystems to create fantastic, purpose-designed spaces which also offer a vital missing ingredient,” explains Deb Hetherington, SGI’s Director of Innovation Ecosystems.
“That missing ingredient is about so much more than bricks and mortar. It’s about designing the innovation ecosystems with built-in, tailor-made support to enable innovators to flourish quickly and for the long-term. It’s how the most successful innovation ecosystems around the world are operating and we’re bringing that to Leeds.
“We’re working with all the core partners within Leeds’ fabulous, city centre Innovation Arc – from the universities, the local and regional authorities and the NHS organisations, to the existing and incoming businesses. We’re joining up the diverse worlds of entrepreneurs, researchers, clinicians, and industry partners who are all focussed on advancing health and care.
“By understanding where their shared objectives intersect, we can create a blended service between them which supports tenant business throughout their journey. In turn, as well as accelerating their development and growth and boosting the local, regional and national economy – it fast-tracks those much-needed breakthroughs in healthcare,” says Deb.
We’re collaborating with partners to remove barriers and shape the most effective routes to success within the wider Leeds ecosystem. Through careful business diagnostics they will match prospective tenants with partner objectives to supercharge success for all parties.
“It’s complex and it has to remain agile and adaptive, so we’re here for the long-term,” says Deb. “But I’m confident that we can all do this brilliantly in Leeds because the level of trust and collaboration here is the strongest I’ve experienced anywhere. That’s a hugely-advantageous starting point.”
The 75,000 square feet of Old Medical School commands a prime location. It’s shouldered on two sides by Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, one of the UK’s largest, renowned for its world-leading research. And it’s within strolling distance of three leading universities, each producing complementary health-related world-leading research. All this at the heart of a city independently ranked third internationally as a health tech hub.
By partnering with local universities and educational institutions, the hub also aims to provide training and development programmes, further strengthening Leeds’ skilled workforce pipeline for the sector.
The Old Medical School redevelopment is part of Leeds’ emerging Innovation Village which is forecast to boost the regional economy by £13 billion, creating 4,000 jobs. It is a flagship project of the £160 million West Yorkshire Health tech and Digital Tech Investment Zone, which signals strong Government recognition of this high growth sector.
Having first opened in 1894, the building is part of the city’s rich heritage in health innovation. But with its architectural heritage status, how will developers square that with today’s requirements?
“We’re very excited to be able to repurpose this part of our estate which is well-loved and perfectly-placed for innovators,” says Tori Critchley, Development Director at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.
“While we’re transforming the building to include state-of-the-art co-working spaces, offices, labs, event spaces and meeting rooms, its history certainly won’t be lost.
“SGI have appointed a very experienced design team who will ensure it retains and enhances its historic features. For example, the old library – complete with books – and lecture theatre will be central features. And you’ll still see Latin inscriptions on the walls and school crests in the entrance,” explains Tori.
While the redevelopment isn’t expected to complete till 2027 there’s already a real buzz of interest from innovators not wanting to miss out on the exclusive opportunity.
“We have more than 50 members of our Innovation Pop Up community already asking about it and we’re anticipating that interest to grow quickly in the coming months,” says Tori.
“SGI is working hard behind the scenes with our partners to design support packages that are unique, bespoke and ready to hit the ground running. It’s a hugely exciting opportunity that we believe is exclusive to Leeds and our doors are open now for anyone wanting an initial conversation about what it could mean for them.”
For more information, please visit our project page or email hello@oldmedicalschool.co.uk
This article was written and first published by Health Innovation Leeds and was reproduced with permission.
Following a decade of accelerated growth and investment at Thorpe Park Leeds, we’re looking ahead to the next phase of development.
This includes the delivery of a significant industrial and logistics hub, new residential apartments, as well as further Grade A business accommodation with supporting amenity – building on more than 25 years as a cornerstone of East Leeds’ business and community landscape.
Today, Thorpe Park Leeds stands as one of the region’s most significant mixed-use destinations. Over the past decade, the development has expanded to more than 1.4 million sq ft of business, retail and leisure space, including landmark offices such as Paradigm and Lumina, and the creation of The Springs retail and leisure centre. The most recent addition of No. 1 The Square has further strengthened Thorpe Park’s role as a centre for employment and secured Yorkshire’s largest-ever out-of-town pre-let deal.
Significant infrastructure enhancements have underpinned this transformation. The construction of a new bridge over the TransPennine Railway and the Manston Lane Link Road have greatly improved access, enabling completion of the East Leeds Orbital Route and unlocking land for the East Leeds Extension – one of the largest residential expansion areas in the city. Together with direct motorway access and comprehensive on-site transport connections, these improvements have positioned Thorpe Park Leeds as one of the most accessible and well-connected destinations in the region.
With a strong foundation in place and outline consent for a further 1m sq ft of mixed-use space already secured, we’re now focused on accelerating the delivery of the next phase at Thorpe Park Leeds. This will see the repositioning of the whole estate, with an expanded vision that includes bringing Integral at Thorpe Park Leeds – a purpose-built industrial and logistics hub – firmly into the heart of the masterplan. Additionally, we’re actively exploring opportunities to deliver up to 450 urban apartments on the estate, supporting the creation of a thriving residential community and offering a variety of options for modern city living.
Reflecting this renewed clarity of purpose and commitment to placemaking, we’ve launched a new website for Thorpe Park Leeds. The site brings together every aspect of the development in a single, accessible platform, offering a significantly improved user experience potential occupiers and investors. The new website sets out a clear vision for the future, showcasing the estate’s diverse opportunities and our ambition to create an inclusive, sustainable and connected destination.
Kevin McCabe, Chairman and Founder, said:
The transformation of Thorpe Park Leeds over recent years provides a strong foundation for future growth. As we prepare to accelerate delivery of the next phase, our focus is on creating high-quality workspace, homes and amenities that support the ambitions of Leeds as a city and deliver long-term benefits to businesses, residents and investors alike. The launch of our new website marks a key milestone in bringing our vision together, providing greater clarity and a more engaging experience for everyone who is part of Thorpe Park Leeds.
Steel City Stadium at Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park is about to take a bold step forward in enhancing its flexible workspace offer, with the introduction of a high-quality business lounge and café.
Our vision for the Stadium has always been to create a vibrant, connected environment where businesses can thrive alongside world-class academics, researchers, clinicians, elite athletes, entrepreneurs and students.
Building on the managed workspace, meeting rooms and event facilities already located on the upper floors, this next phase introduces a new business lounge offering hot desking, private booths and informal meeting areas. We’ve designed it to inspire – a place where start-ups and established companies alike can work, connect and grow.
Alongside the lounge, our new café will serve high-quality refreshments in a relaxed and welcoming space – perfect for casual catch-ups, informal meetings or simply taking a break. It’s not just for our members and tenants – we want the wider community to feel at home here too.
Since opening in 2022, Steel City Stadium has become home to more than 30 forward-thinking organisations, including Medilink UK – the country’s largest health technology trade association – and UK NEQAS, a leader in laboratory medicine quality assessment. With this next step, we’re strengthening the stadium’s role as a go-to destination for innovation-led businesses and a gateway to the Park’s wider ecosystem, including the Advanced Wellbeing Research Centre at Sheffield Hallam University, UTC Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park, and the soon-to-open National Centre for Child Health Technology.
We renamed the stadium Steel City Stadium to honour Sheffield’s proud industrial heritage and reflect its bright future as a global centre of excellence in sport, health and wellbeing. This next phase is about realising that vision.
As Ian Sanderson, our Estates and Development Consultant, puts it:
“Steel City Stadium is at the heart of Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park’s transformation. It’s no longer just a sports venue – it’s becoming a thriving business destination. By activating the ground floor, we’re creating a space where people can come together – to work, to collaborate, and to connect.”
To help our business community succeed, we’re also working closely with Sheffield Technology Parks (STP), who will provide on-site support, mentoring and networking opportunities.
Tom Wolfenden, CEO at STP, says:
“Innovation often starts with a conversation. That’s why we’re so excited about this new space – it’s more than just coffee and coworking. It’s about building a dynamic community where great ideas can flourish.”
Deb Hetherington, our Director of Innovation Ecosystems, adds:
“High-growth businesses need more than desks – they need the right support, the right people and the right energy. That’s exactly what we’re building at Steel City Stadium.”
With its elite sports facilities and expanding business offer, Steel City Stadium is fast becoming a key part of both Sheffield’s sporting and business landscape.
The new business lounge and café are set to open in early summer 2025. For more information, visit www.sheffieldolympiclegacypark.co.uk.
The second annual canal-side festival at our award-winning Middlewood Locks neighbourhood in Salford is returning next month with an even bigger and better programme packed with engaging activities for all the family.
Taking place on Saturday 10th May 2025 from 2pm until 10pm, ‘Middlewood Locks Fest’ is a free to attend event with a daytime market, children’s interactive workshops, face painting, live music with performances from The Ski Band and others, a pop-up pub and street food vendors, water-based activities, as well as a spectacular fire display at dusk.
Key highlights will include a giant Canadian goose puppet celebrating the abundance of waterside wildlife at Middlewood Locks, and a unique speaking and listening bike, recording stories about memories of the canal.
Street food vendors will include Taka Taka Mama, Gingers Ice Cream Emporium and Adams & Rose Bar.
The Makers market will be back bringing together local makers, artisans, performers and creators selling a range of beautiful products such as jewellery, plants, artwork, clothes and produce. The Canal & River Trust will also be hosting explorer’s activities for families, and children from the local St Philip’s CE Primary School have been working with artists to make decorative items for the event which will be displayed amongst the trees within the landscaping.
Visitors will be able to jump on board rafted canoes for water-based activities and a live DJ set with mesmerising fire and sound installation will provide for a fabulous sunset finale.
The festival is being made possible through sponsorship from Scarborough Group International, the developer and custodian of Middlewood Locks, and Get Living, the build-to-rent operator. Produced in collaboration with the outdoor events production team at Walk the Plank, the event is also supported by Manchester, Bolton & Bury Canal Society and Canal & River Trust with funding from GMCA.
The Mayor of Salford, Paul Dennett, will officially launch the event. He said:
“I am thrilled to be able to attend Middlewood Locks Fest and kick off proceedings this year. The event is a fantastic example of community engagement with a day packed with fun things to do for all the family and the local community.
“We are grateful to SGI and all organisations for their support in making this an annual event for the people of Salford and we truly hope that it continues for many years to come.”
Nicola Wallis, Group Sales & Marketing Director at Scarborough Group International, said:
“We are delighted to announce our second annual Middlewood Locks Fest next month. Last year’s inaugural event surpassed our expectations with hundreds of people taking part. It really was a fantastic day for all, embracing the community values and inclusivity that are so important to us at Middlewood Locks.
“With over 2,500 people now living at Middlewood Locks there is a wonderful sense of community and place where outdoor activities are really supported by the beautiful waterside setting, curated green spaces and engaging new public realm. Our residents love to mingle and, as a popular route between Salford and Manchester city centre, Middlewood Locks receives considerable visitor footfall.”
Kim Quickfall, Regional Director at Get Living, said:
“Last year’s Middlewood Locks Fest was a huge success and we’re excited to be supporting the event again in 2025. Bringing people from across Salford and the wider area together, the day will celebrate the best of local culture, enterprise and creativity with activities and events for all. At Get Living we’re proud to be a part of the Middlewood Locks community as it continues to thrive.”
Paul Hindle of Manchester, Bolton & Bury Canal Society, said:
“It’s great to see this historic waterway repurposed for the 21st century as a source of recreation, connection, activity and wellbeing.”
Ben Turner at Walk the Plank, said:
“We were delighted at how the first event went last year – particularly the glorious sunshine – and are looking forward to expanding this year onto both sides of the canal with a range of activities and performances for everyone.”
Further details for Middlewood Fest can be found at Middlewood Locks – (middlewood-locks.co.uk)
Yorkshire’s status as a rising health tech powerhouse will be in the spotlight this May, as leaders from across government, business and academia come together for a high-profile event exploring how the region is shaping the future of healthcare innovation.
Taking place at the historic Old Medical School in Leeds on Wednesday 21 May 2025, Powering Yorkshire’s Health Tech Revolution is being hosted by ourselves and Savills, in partnership with Estates Gazette, and forms part of the official fringe programme for the UK Real Estate Investment & Infrastructure Forum (UKREiiF).
The breakfast panel will bring together senior voices from across Yorkshire to discuss how flagship developments – including the Old Medical School and Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park – are positioning the region as a national and international hub for health and life sciences.
The event will also spotlight the strength of Yorkshire’s growing innovation ecosystem and the importance of the “triple helix” model – where universities, industry and the public sector come together to unlock investment, accelerate innovation and deliver real-world healthcare improvements.
As part of the session, speakers will also explore some of the most pressing challenges and opportunities shaping the region’s health tech future – from unlocking lab space and retaining STEM talent, to scaling NHS-ready solutions and protecting homegrown IP from being lost to international buyers.
Dame Linda Pollard, Chair of Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, will open the event and join the panel discussion. She commented:
“What better place to share and discuss the brilliant work taking place in Yorkshire Health Tech than at the Old Medical School at Leeds General Infirmary? Together with Scarborough Group International we are creating a health tech innovation hub that helps clinicians, researchers and entrepreneurs turn the latest scientific advances into successful new products and services that can improve health outcomes and drive economic growth. We are at the forefront of innovation here in Leeds and I’m looking forward to a really interesting and stimulating event.”
Other confirmed speakers for the panel include:
The session will be chaired by Evelina Grecenko, Senior Life Sciences Reporter at Estates Gazette.
Following the discussion, attendees will be invited on a short, guided tour of the Old Medical School – offering a first-hand look at the site ahead of its transformation into a regional hub for innovation.
SGI, one of the event’s lead organisers, is working closely with Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust on plans to transform the Old Medical School into a dedicated health tech innovation hub – part of the city’s wider £2 billion Innovation Arc.
In South Yorkshire, SGI is also partnering with Legacy Park Ltd to expand Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park, delivering new commercial space and infrastructure to support innovation in sport, health and wellbeing.
Deb Hetherington, from SGI, said:
“Successful innovation isn’t just about real estate – it’s about people, relationships and purpose. What we’re building here is a connected, open ecosystem where great ideas can thrive. We want to create the conditions where a start-up can sit next to a global healthcare player, and both benefit.”
This event comes at a time of real momentum for the region’s health tech sector. Just last week, it was confirmed that Health Innovation Yorkshire & Humber will lead the new West Yorkshire Healthtech Accelerator – a £4.5 million initiative backed by the West Yorkshire Mayor’s Investment Zone. Over the next four years, the programme will support up to 240 businesses, expanding the successful Propel@YH model to help innovators scale into the NHS, attract investment and accelerate the adoption of new technologies across health and care.
With places limited and strong interest already building, early registration is highly recommended.
Scarborough, Britain’s first seaside resort, is on the cusp of a remarkable transformation. With an impressive footfall count, a growing local economy and an evolving demographic profile, Scarborough is emerging as one of the UK’s most attractive coastal locations for leisure and F&B operators.
As the owner and developer of the Brunswick Centre, Scarborough Group International (SGI) is proud to be leading this evolution. Our redevelopment of Brunswick into Square One (SQ1) – a cinema-led, leisure-focused destination – will redefine the town centre, creating opportunities for forward-thinking operators to tap into Scarborough’s expanding market.
Scarborough’s recent economic trajectory tells a compelling story. Over the past decade, the town, along with nearby Whitby, has shown steady growth in Gross Value Added (GVA), a key measure of local economic productivity. When coupled with the average gross disposable household income of £19,204[1], the town’s economic momentum suggests untapped potential for increased local spending.
Scarborough also benefits from exceptionally strong footfall in the town centre, driven by both locals and tourists. In 2023-24, the town centre recorded a footfall of 23.4 million, 10 million more than Cambridge[2] over the same period – cementing its position as one of the UK’s leading visitor destinations. But, while people are already spending time in the area with an average dwell time of 194 minutes during peak months, the right mix of amenities could encourage them to stay even longer and increase spending.
SQ1 will take Scarborough’s prime town centre asset and transform it from the department store based concept of yester-year to a leisure-led model for the future.
At the heart of SQ1 will be a state-of-the-art ODEON Luxe cinema, which alone is expected to attract up to 350,000 visitors annually[3]. Cinemas are proven anchors for leisure destinations, driving consistent footfall throughout the week and into the evenings – beyond the traditional retailing hours.
But SQ1 isn’t just about the cinema. It will offer a carefully curated mix of restaurants, bars and leisure spaces designed to complement the cinema and create a holistic, all-weather destination. For leisure and F&B operators, this presents an unparalleled opportunity to position themselves at the heart of Scarborough’s evolving town centre – tapping into both the local market and the millions of tourists who visit the town every year.
Importantly, SQ1 is designed with flexibility in mind. Spaces will accommodate a variety of concepts, from grab and go outlets to full-service restaurants and bars, ensuring that national chains can find their ideal and encouraging local independents to take their place in the mix.
Scarborough’s demographic profile offers strong indicators for leisure and F&B success. While the former local authority area’s population, including neighbouring Whitby and Filey, has remained stable at 108,735[4] over the last decade, its largest age group – those aged 50-64 – stands at 4% above the national average[5]. This group, typically economically active and often with fewer family responsibilities, tends to have higher disposable incomes and a preference for high-quality dining and leisure experiences.
At the same time, Scarborough is attracting a younger, experience-driven audience. The 25-34 age group has seen the second-fastest growth since 2011[6], reflecting the town’s growing appeal to digitally-native professionals who prioritise experiences over possessions. This demographic is known for spending significantly on eating out, entertainment and social activities – the very offerings that SQ1 will deliver.
Tourism remains a cornerstone of Scarborough’s economy, but like many coastal towns, the challenge has been creating year-round demand. SQ1 aims to tackle this head-on by providing an all-weather destination that will draw consistent footfall beyond the traditional summer season. By anchoring the development around leisure and dining – two sectors that thrive year-round – we’re creating an environment where businesses can succeed.
Scarborough is rediscovering its former glory, and SQ1 is at the heart of this revival. For leisure and F&B operators, this is a rare opportunity to become part of a town reclaiming its historic status as a vibrant coastal destination – with a resilient economy, a strong tourism base and a transformative new development leading the way.
We at Scarborough Group International invite you to be part of this journey. Whether you’re a national brand looking for a strategic coastal location or an independent operator seeking a unique space in a thriving community, SQ1 offers the perfect platform for growth.
Make sure it’s on your radar.
[1] Office for National Statistics
[2] cambridgebid.co.uk
[3] Brunswick Economic Impact Assessment, Quod, May 2023
[4] Office for National Statistics – 2011 Census and Census 2021
[5] Scarborough Town Centre Team
[6] Office for National Statistics – 2011 Census and Census 2021
Scarborough, Britain’s first seaside resort, has long captured the nation’s hearts with its sweeping bays, historic charm and vibrant tourism scene. But behind its iconic seafront and bustling harbour lies a sleeping giant – a town rich in potential, poised to awaken and embrace a new era of growth and opportunity.
That moment is fast approaching. As the owner and developer of the Brunswick Centre, we at Scarborough Group International (SGI) are leading a transformative project that will help to redefine Scarborough’s town centre. Our vision is Square One (SQ1) – a cinema-led, leisure-focused destination designed to breathe new life into the former shopping centre, creating lasting social and economic benefits for the entire community.
Scarborough has always been a town of enduring appeal, but recent data underscores just how much potential lies beneath the surface. With an annual footfall of 23.4 million[1], Scarborough consistently ranks among the UK’s most visited seaside destinations. Visitors aren’t just passing through either – average dwell times in Scarborough exceed 195 minutes[2] during peak summer months. This compares very favourably with nearby York, where the average dwell time in December 2023 was 103 minutes[3], and Harrogate, where dwell times typically range from 100 to 160 minutes[4]. These figures highlight Scarborough’s strong ability to captivate visitors and encourage them to stay, explore and, crucially, spend more.
The town’s appeal isn’t confined to summer. Scarborough outperforms many rivals in short-stay guest nights, recording 706,820 in Q3 2024 alone – surpassing tourist hubs like Blackpool, Leeds and York[5]. This year-round appeal presents an incredible opportunity for growth, but the town centre has struggled to keep pace with the evolving needs of both locals and visitors.
Scarborough’s town centre, while rich in history, has long needed a revitalised focal point – a dynamic destination that bridges the town’s storied past with its ambitious future. SQ1 represents that vision.
The impending transformation of the Brunswick Centre into SQ1 will create a vibrant, all-weather hub anchored by a state-of-the-art ODEON Luxe cinema – a key driver for year-round footfall.
Cinemas are proven catalysts for town centre regeneration, with SQ1’s ODEON Luxe having the potential to attract up to 350,000 visitors annually[6], stimulating surrounding businesses, particularly those in the evening economy.
SQ1 won’t be just another retail space. It will offer a curated mix of leisure, dining and experiential retail, creating a destination where locals and visitors can connect, relax and enjoy a range of activities. From family movie nights to dining out with friends, SQ1 will provide something for everyone, helping to extend dwell times and increase local spending – with cinema visits and linked trips projected to bring an extra £6 million[7] into the town centre annually.
Scarborough’s thriving food and drink sector, which contributes over £715 million annually to the local economy and growing[8], provides a solid foundation for SQ1’s offering. We plan to introduce a diverse blend of national and local independent F&B brands, catering to the town’s growing appetite for high-quality dining experiences.
Demographically, Scarborough presents an attractive market for operators. With a population of over 155,000[9] within a 45 minute drive time, the former local authority area, including the neighbouring towns of Whitby and Filey, has a strong representation from the 50-64 age group (4% above the England average[10]), a demographic that is typically economically active with higher disposable incomes. At the same time, the 25-34 age group has seen the second-fastest growth since 2011[11], reflecting the town’s need to appeal to younger, experience-driven audiences who prioritise dining, entertainment and social spaces.
Tourism remains a cornerstone of Scarborough’s economy, supporting 47%[12] of all local employment. However, this reliance on seasonal tourism has also potentially contributed to the town’s challenges such as low wages and suppressed economic activity . SQ1 aims to break this cycle by providing year-round attractions that stimulate sustained employment and create new opportunities, with projections indicating the creation of up to 350 permanent jobs[13]
Scarborough has always been a town with charm, beauty and history. But with our vision for SQ1 beginning to shape, it’s ready to become so much more. The sleeping giant is stirring and, as Scarborough awakens, there’s an open invitation for brands, investors and the community to be part of this exciting journey.
At SGI, we’re proud to lead this transformation – but we’re not doing it alone. We’re working closely with North Yorkshire Council and the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority to ensure that SQ1 is not just a standalone development, but a catalyst for wider regeneration, future investment and long-term economic sustainability. Together, we are laying the foundations for Scarborough’s next chapter – one where the town centre regains its position a vibrant, resilient destination at the heart of the region’s growth for years to come.
It’s time to awaken the giant.
[1] Scarborough Town Centre Team
[2] Scarborough Town Centre Team
[3] theyorkbid.com
[4] harrogatebid.co.uk
[5] Scarborough Town Centre Team
[6] Brunswick Economic Impact Assessment, Quod, May 2023
[7] Brunswick Economic Impact Assessment, Quod, May 2023
[8] Scarborough Town Centre Team
[9] app.traveltime.com / NOMIS
[10] Scarborough Town Centre Team
[11] Office for National Statistics – 2011 Census and Census 2021
[12] Brunswick Economic Impact Assessment, Quod, May 2023
[13] Brunswick Economic Impact Assessment, Quod, May 2023
We’ve believed in Scarborough for a long time. It’s where some of our roots lie, and it’s a place with huge potential. That’s why we’re proud to be playing a key part in helping the town centre thrive again – starting with the transformation of The Brunswick Centre into Square One (SQ1).
As we edge closer to breaking ground on the transformation of the Brunswick shopping centre, we want to be clear that we’re not simply delivering a new leisure and entertainment destination. We’re working closely with local and regional authorities to create something that can help shape the future of the town centre and kick-start wider regeneration that benefits everyone.
Our journey with this project began back in 2021, when we first started talking to the leadership of the former Scarborough Borough Council. At that time, the Council recognised that the closure of Debenhams and the wider challenges facing the Centre posed a threat to the vitality of the town centre – but also represented a unique opportunity for transformative regeneration.
In seeking a long-term solution, the Council approached us about becoming involved, acknowledging our local roots, national track record and deep understanding of the town’s needs. There was a shared concern that, without thoughtful stewardship, the site could fall into the hands of investors with little connection to the community or commitment to its future.
Mark Jackson, who is leading the project and was born and raised in Scarborough, said:
“Like so many traditional seaside destinations, Scarborough has faced stiff economic challenges, which need to be met with a concerted effort from the authorities and businesses invested in the town. Scarborough has great strengths and remains popular but, for the town centre to thrive, it must evolve to suit a much-changed world.
“We are working closely with North Yorkshire Council and other public sector organisations to ensure that SQ1 fulfils its role as a catalyst for further investment.
“With the support of these public bodies, we are able to take the long-term view that such a project needs, in the face of what are the most challenging market conditions facing town centres for decades. We have worked hard to secure ODEON Luxe, the best cinema operator, as SQ1’s principal anchor operator, and expect to confirm other occupiers in the coming months. In the meantime, we are carefully managing the process of winding down the shopping centre in its existing form to minimise the disruption and impact upon the town.”
SQ1 is set to transform the former Brunswick shopping centre into a dynamic, leisure-led destination, improving connections across this important part of the town centre and towards the famous seafront. Anchored by ODEON Luxe, the development will introduce a state-of-the-art cinema featuring luxury recliner seating, enhanced audio-visual technology, and a premium food and beverage offer, setting a new benchmark for entertainment in the town.
Beyond the cinema, SQ1 will feature a mix of modern dining and leisure operators while preserving the active high-street frontage, and is designed to appeal to residents and visitors alike. SGI is in advanced discussions with several leading operators and will be making further announcements soon.
Jackson added:
“SQ1 will provide a vital boost to Scarborough’s town centre, not just economically, but socially. By introducing a mix of leisure and hospitality that encourages visitors to spend longer in the town centre, we are helping to create a more welcoming environment.”
As detailed design and technical coordination nears completion, SQ1 is moving closer to becoming a reality, with construction set to commence in autumn 2025 and completion anticipated by spring 2027. As the project progresses, we will be sharing further insights into the impact of the redevelopment, providing a deeper look at how it will positively contribute to Scarborough’s long-term regeneration.
Jackson concluded:
“SQ1 has been carefully planned to ensure that it delivers real, long-lasting benefits for Scarborough. We have worked closely with our partners to get to this point and, now, as we move towards construction, the real transformation begins.
“This is just the beginning of a much wider conversation about Scarborough’s future. Through our forthcoming blog series, we will be sharing insights on how SQ1 will help the town build on its strengths, address key challenges, attract further investment and create an even better place to live, work and visit.”
By Deb Hetherington, Director of Innovation Ecosystems
In the evolving landscape of urban innovation, collaboration is no longer a “nice to have” – it’s a necessity. For developers like Scarborough Group International (SGI), building spaces is only part of the equation. We’re in the business of shaping ecosystems – places where research, enterprise, talent and community intersect to create long-term impact.
As part of our work delivering two of the North’s most exciting innovation assets – the Old Medical School in Leeds and Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park – I recently visited Oslo Science City. The visit formed part of our research and benchmarking process, and included conversations with leading innovation organisations such as Noroff, a digital skills provider, and Aleap, a health-focused incubator. These discussions were a powerful reminder: successful innovation districts don’t stop at the edge of a building. They stretch across sectors, institutions and borders.
Oslo Science City is Norway’s first innovation district, strategically anchored in the city’s most knowledge-intensive quarter. Since the 1980s, Oslo Science Park has been a cornerstone of this ecosystem – home to more than 300 organisations across life sciences, digital health, AI and cleantech. It’s a model of what’s possible when real estate, research and entrepreneurship are aligned from the start.
For SGI, the Oslo experience reinforced what we already believe: that long-term value is built through intentional ecosystem design. Whether in Leeds or Sheffield, it’s not just about creating world-class spaces – it’s about cultivating the networks, partnerships and platforms that allow innovation to thrive over decades.
Just minutes from Oslo Science Park, Noroff challenges the conventional model of education. Their mission is to create graduates who are market-shaping, not just job-ready – people who will define roles and industries that don’t yet exist.
What makes Noroff exceptional is their responsiveness to the needs of the innovation economy. Their programmes are co-developed with start-ups and tech leaders, ensuring that talent is directly aligned with the needs of the ecosystem.
This resonates deeply with our ambitions for Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park, home to UTC Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park, which is already preparing young people for careers in health sciences, computing and sport science. Our vision is to grow this pipeline further – creating an environment where education is not peripheral, but central to the ecosystem. At SGI, we see education as core infrastructure – a driver of innovation, not just a response to it.
Aleap’s model is distinctive. As a non-profit incubator, it supports health start-ups through access to expert networks, capital and community. But what stands out is the curation of that community. Founders aren’t left to fend for themselves – they’re embedded in a support system that includes hospitals, regulators, investors and academics.
This is a critical insight for our work at the Old Medical School in Leeds, which is currently being refurbished to become the first part of the Innovation Village. The site already benefits from an established foundation of collaborative activity – most notably the Innovation Pop Up, led by Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. This initiative provides a dynamic interface between start-ups, clinicians and researchers, helping health tech innovators navigate the NHS and co-create impactful solutions.
As we bring the Old Medical School into its next chapter, initiatives like the Innovation Pop Up will play a vital role in anchoring our approach. They demonstrate that successful innovation hubs aren’t just about high-spec spaces – they’re about highly networked systems. Our ambition is to build on this existing momentum, creating a curated and connected environment where health innovation can flourish through cross-sector collaboration.
So what does all this mean for SGI’s innovation assets and the broader ambitions of Sheffield’s Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District and the Leeds Innovation Arc? It means we must collectively:
What we saw in Oslo was a district that thrives because it doesn’t rely on luck. It builds the conditions for chance meetings, cross-sector innovation, and international partnerships. The Old Medical School in Leeds and Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park can do the same – in fact, they already are.
What we saw in Oslo was a blueprint for success – one rooted in collaboration, intentionality and long-term thinking. As we shape the future of innovation in Leeds and Sheffield, we do so with a global mindset and a deep commitment to local impact.
Innovation isn’t built by chance. It’s built by those willing to look outwards, connect meaningfully, and lead with purpose. That’s the opportunity we see – and the responsibility we embrace.
We’re excited to unveil the core design and delivery team that will lead the redevelopment of the former Younger Building in West Edinburgh, following our acquisition of the property from a client of OakNorth Bank in March 2025.
The project team brings together a strong blend of national capability and regional experience. AHR is leading the architectural design, drawing on a proven track record in retrofit and commercial workplace projects, while Buro Happold is providing structural and M&E engineering consultancy to ensure the building systems meet modern performance standards. Gardiner & Theobald is acting as Quantity Surveyor and Employer’s Agent, overseeing cost and programme management, with Muir Construction appointed as main contractor. Property management will be delivered by Redpath Bruce following completion.
The project will see the vacant 89,863 sq ft office building upgraded to meet the needs of modern occupiers, with works expected to begin on site in summer 2025 and the refurbished space available from spring 2026. Originally constructed in 1999 for the NatWest Group, the three-storey building occupies a prominent site in one of West Edinburgh’s most established business locations. With a shortage of high-quality, out-of-town workspace in the city, SGI’s plans focus on improving environmental performance and providing adaptable space to suit a wide range of occupiers.
Key interventions will include upgrading the building’s mechanical and electrical systems to target an EPC A rating, alongside measures to improve energy efficiency and long-term sustainability. The existing atrium spaces will be enclosed to increase net lettable area and allow for greater sub-division, enabling the building to accommodate a range of requirements – from microbusinesses through to larger corporate occupiers.
Paul Kelly, Managing Director at SGI, said:
“This is a well-located building with solid fundamentals that just needs the right investment to make it fit-for-purpose in today’s market. By focusing on energy performance, flexibility and functionality, we’re confident the former Younger Building will meet the needs of today’s occupiers. Assembling a strong, delivery-focused team is a key part of that process, and we’re pleased to now be progressing with our plans.”
Gurminder Sanghera, Director at AHR, commented:
“This project is a fantastic opportunity to transform a large open-plan office into a vibrant, future-ready workplace. By reimagining the space, we will create a more flexible and sustainable environment that delivers a much wider range of business requirements. With rising demand for high-quality, energy-efficient workplaces that enhance peoples’ health and wellbeing, our design approach focuses on human centric design principles to unlock the building’s full potential – to create attractive workplaces with amenities where people can thrive.”
For more information, please contact our joint letting agents CBRE and Savills.
We’re thrilled to announce that the Sheffield & Hallamshire County Football Association (SHCFA) will relocate its headquarters to Steel City Stadium at Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park.
As the world’s oldest County Football Association, founded in 1867, SHCFA governs and supports grassroots football within a 20-mile radius of Sheffield Cathedral. With more than 50,000 registered players, the association is committed to making football accessible, inclusive and transformative for individuals and communities alike.
The move follows the sale of the SHCFA’s Meadowhall Road base and will enable significant reinvestment into the development of a purpose-built Football Centre and support for future football hubs across the region.
Steel City Stadium – backed by funding from the Football Foundation and over £10 million of private investment from SGI – has quickly become a focal point for elite and community sport. Its flexible workspace is already home to Barnsley Women’s FC, Ice Hockey UK and Cricket Arena, while the pitch hosts Sheffield Eagles Rugby League Club training and fixtures alongside community and grassroots teams.
The stadium sits at the heart of Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park, a centre of sporting excellence that also includes the English Institute of Sport Sheffield, iceSheffield and the Canon Medical Arena. The co-location of these facilities and organisations creates an ecosystem that encourages collaboration, innovation and talent development, bringing professional and local sport together, inspiring future generations and strengthening community engagement across the region.
Looking ahead, our vision for Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park goes far beyond the stadium. Through an initial development agreement with Sheffield City Council, we’re bringing forward an ambitious masterplan to deliver up to 1 million sq ft of commercial space around the existing world-class facilities. This expansion will include high-quality office space, laboratories, leisure and retail, creating an exceptional environment where innovation in sport, health and wellbeing can thrive.
Brian Coddington, Chief Executive Officer of Sheffield & Hallamshire County FA, said:
“We’re delighted to relocate to the modern workspace at Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park. This location offers easy access across the region and places us at the heart of Sheffield’s sporting future. As the oldest County FA in the country, we’re proud to represent football alongside other national governing bodies and organisations.”
Ian Sanderson, Investment and Estates Consultant at SGI, said:
“SGI’s vision for Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park has always been to create a vibrant and collaborative environment where sport, health and wellbeing organisations can thrive together. With over £10 million already invested in Steel City Stadium and plans for up to 1 million sq ft of new commercial development, we’re building something exceptional – a place where innovation, enterprise and community impact go hand in hand. Welcoming Sheffield & Hallamshire County FA to the Park further strengthens that ecosystem, bringing together elite and grassroots sport in a setting designed to deliver benefits for the entire region.”
Join us for a compelling morning at UKREiiF 2025 as we explore the rapid rise of Yorkshire’s thriving health tech ecosystem and the developments shaping its future.
Date: Wednesday 21 May 2025
Time: 08:30 – 10:30 (with optional site tour until 11:00)
Venue: Old Medical School, Leeds LS1 3BR
Hosted by Scarborough Group and Savills, in partnership with Estates Gazette and held at the historic Old Medical School in Leeds, this high-impact session will examine how major developments such as the Old Medical School and Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park are transforming Yorkshire into a powerhouse of health innovation.
Chaired by Evelina Grecenko, Senior Life Sciences Reporter at Estates Gazette, the event will feature a keynote presentation from Clare Bailey, Director of Commercial Research at Savills, followed by a panel of experts from across the region’s innovation, public and private sectors.
Featured panellists include:
Spaces are limited – please RSVP via the Eventbrite listing to secure your place.
Hot on the heels of announcing our acquisition of the former Younger Building in West Edinburgh, we’re keeping the momentum going by officially appointing CBRE and Savills as joint leasing agents for its forthcoming redevelopment.
Set in one of Scotland’s most dynamic business districts, this landmark property represents an exciting opportunity to deliver a best-in-class workplace that responds to modern business needs. With its excellent transport connections and proximity to Edinburgh Airport, West Edinburgh continues to attract a broad mix of occupiers – and we’re confident that, with CBRE and Savills on board, we’ll unlock its full potential.
Both firms bring not only deep expertise but also a strong track record in the Scottish office market. Together, we’ll be working to reposition the building into a flexible, future-focused workspace that will help address the city’s shortage of Grade A office space.
As Paul Kelly, our Managing Director, puts it:
“Our vision for the Younger Building is to deliver a workspace that sets a new standard in Edinburgh. By bringing CBRE and Savills on board, we’re making a strong statement about our commitment to quality and our confidence in the demand for well-designed, sustainable office space.”
Angela Lowe, Head of Office Agency at CBRE in Scotland, said:
“West Edinburgh continues to appeal to Edinburgh occupiers and is also attracting businesses relocating from further afield due to the transport connections and accessibility. This building will offer businesses flexible space in Scotland’s capital. “
Mike Irvine, Director of Office Agency and Development at Savills, added:
“Savills is excited about working with SGI to fully realise the potential of the former Younger Building. While there is much press coverage regarding tenant demand for city centres, there is still a sector of the market that prefers out of town locations. The former Younger Building will be repositioned to provide highly flexible accommodation which is able to cater to the sustainability and wellness requirements of these occupiers.”
Want to find out more about the building or discuss leasing opportunities? Get in touch with our agents:
We’ve expanded our Scottish portfolio with the acquisition of the former Younger Building in West Edinburgh from an OakNorth Bank client – a fantastic opportunity to deliver much-needed Grade A office space in one of the city’s key business locations.
Originally built in 1999 for NatWest Group, the three-storey, 89,863 sq ft building is currently vacant and perfectly positioned for transformation. With excellent transport links and strong potential, we’re already working with our appointed design team to reimagine the space as a modern, sustainable workplace that responds to the needs of today’s occupiers.
Commenting, Simon McCabe, our Chief Executive, said:
“The former Younger Building is a fantastic opportunity for us. It’s in a prime location, has excellent connectivity and provides a solid foundation for transformation. By drawing on our experience delivering high-quality, landmark projects, we’re confident we’ll meet the growing demand for Grade A office space and set a new benchmark for occupiers in West Edinburgh.”
We’ve worked closely with OakNorth Bank on this acquisition, and their support has been key. Benjamin Du Boulay, Senior Director at OakNorth Bank, added:
“We’re pleased to have supported Scarborough Group with the acquisition of the former Younger Building. Given their impressive track record in delivering high-quality commercial projects, we’re confident this redevelopment will breathe new life into the site and contribute positively to West Edinburgh’s business landscape. We look forward to seeing their vision come to life.”
This project builds on the work we’ve already done across Scotland, where we’ve delivered over one million sq ft of commercial space – including the redevelopment of 110 St Vincent Street and RWF House in Glasgow, and the refurbishment of 93 George Street here in Edinburgh. We also have 1.2 million sq ft of new space in the pipeline at Queensferry One in Rosyth.
Scotland is an important part of our story and continues to be a key focus for future investment. We’re excited to bring this building back to life and deliver a new standard of Grade A office space for West Edinburgh.
The Community Stadium at Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park has been officially renamed Steel City Stadium, celebrating Sheffield’s industrial heritage while embracing its future as a global centre of excellence for innovation in sport, health and wellbeing.
Opened in 2022, we funded and developed the stadium as a multi-purpose venue for sport and business, following an investment of over £10 million.
Renowned for its 3G pitch and 2,044-capacity grandstand, which hosts professional, community and grassroots sports teams, the stadium also serves as a thriving hub for innovative and high-tech businesses.
Offering a range of flexible, managed workspaces, including private office suites, coworking areas and meeting facilities, the stadium is home to a variety of local, regional and national organisations including MediLink UK, the country’s largest health technology trade association, and UK NEQAS, a leader in laboratory medicine quality assessment.
Beyond contemporary workspaces, tenants of Steel City Stadium also benefit from access to a vibrant ecosystem that supports growth, collaboration and community engagement through a strategic partnership with Sheffield Technology Parks.
With plans for further expansion of the stadium workspace in the near future, it became clear to us that the name ‘Community Stadium’ no longer fully reflected the scale of its ambition or its growing role as a gateway for businesses at Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park, prompting the decision to rename it.
The stadium stands on the historic site of the former Brown Bayley’s Steel Works, where Harry Brearley, the pioneer of stainless steel, once worked. It was Harry’s ground-breaking discovery that solidified Sheffield’s reputation as the ‘Steel City’ and a centre of innovation and SGI sees renaming it Steel City Stadium as a powerful tribute to this legacy of ingenuity and craftsmanship while positioning it as a place where new ideas, businesses and industries can flourish.
This commitment to innovation is at the core of our vision for Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park, which aims to bring together world-leading academics, researchers, clinicians, elite athletes, businesses and students, all united by a shared mission to drive advancements in sport, health and wellbeing.
With an initial Development and Acquisition Agreement in place with Sheffield City Council, we are advancing plans to deliver over 1 million sq ft of commercial space across an 80-acre zone, enhancing the Park’s existing facilities, which includes renowned institutions such as Sheffield Hallam University’s Advanced Wellbeing Research Centre, the English Institute of Sport Sheffield, Canon Medical Arena, and the upcoming National Centre for Child Health Technology.
Kevin McCabe, our Founder and Chairman, said:
“Sheffield has always been a city of innovation, from its industrial roots to its world-class advancements in sport, health and wellbeing. Renaming the stadium to Steel City Stadium is about honouring that history while looking ahead. The site has a remarkable legacy and now, through Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park, we are building a future that reflects the city’s pioneering spirit. Whether in sport, business, research or healthcare, the Park is driving forward new ideas and Steel City Stadium is a key part of that vision.”
To mark the occasion, we will be hosting an official relaunch event in May, bringing together the existing Park community, business leaders, public sector officials and sports professionals. Further details will be announced soon.
In real estate, long-term partnerships are the foundation of sustainable growth. They’re built on trust, shared values and a mutual vision for the future.
Our Chairman, Kevin McCabe, recently visited Singapore to meet with our long-standing partners, Metro Holdings – a relationship spanning over 12 years. This collaboration is a testament to what’s possible when like-minded businesses come together with ambition and purpose.
At Scarborough Group, we believe in more than just bricks and mortar – we believe in people and partnerships that unlock potential. Together with Metro Holdings, we’ve navigated markets, seized opportunities and weathered challenges, always with an eye on creating long-term value.
This visit wasn’t just about reflecting on our shared success – it was about looking forward. Exploring new avenues and reinforcing our commitment to real estate projects that make a difference.
Global connections like these help us push boundaries, bringing international insights and opportunities back home. Because when we think globally and act locally, we help drive growth not just for our businesses, but for the communities we serve.
Here’s to strong partnerships, bold thinking and many more years of shared success.
The latest phase of homes at our award-winning Middlewood Locks development in Salford have completed with new residents taking occupation.
Middlewood Locks is a £1bn regeneration project connecting Salford with Manchester City Centre where a cool new urban neighbourhood is evolving. The sustainable development plan is transforming a disused 25-acre site to ultimately provide 2,215 new homes with 900,000 sq ft of commercial space for offices, a hotel, shops, restaurants, multi-storey car park and gym.
It is already home to over 2,400 residents in 1,117 apartments, supported by amenity, and engaging public realm. A Co-op convenience store and 92 Degrees Coffee Shop support the growing community within an established oasis of green spaces and engaging public realm along the canal.
‘Railings’ is the latest phase to complete with 189 new homes including seven waterside townhouses, six mews houses for family living, alongside a mix of one, two and three-bedroom apartments. Most of the homes have private balcony, terrace or garden spaces and a generous communal podium garden is available for the benefit of all residents.
Miruna Bejenaru, a first-time buyer at Middlewood Locks, shared her experience:
“As someone who moved to the UK from Romania, I’ve lived in several places, from studying at Lancaster University to working in London. During the pandemic, I moved back north to be closer to friends, renting for four years while waiting for the right time to buy my first home.
“The moment I stepped into my flat at Middlewood Locks, I knew it was home. Everything about the area, from the beautiful surroundings to the friendly community, just felt right. I was nervous about buying my first property, especially after hearing so many daunting stories, but the process turned out to be smoother than I ever imagined.
“The team at Middlewood Locks was incredible – supportive, professional, and reassuring at every step. They truly went above and beyond to make the experience enjoyable.
“I couldn’t be happier with my decision – the location is perfect, close to the city centre, gyms, shops, and everything I need. The layout of the apartment feels perfect for me, and it’s a place I’m proud to call home.”
Nicola Wallis, our Group Sales and Marketing Director at Scarborough Group International, said:
“It’s incredibly exciting to see the first homeowners at Railings moving into their new homes. Many of our buyers are already part of the Middlewood Locks community – either stepping up into their second home in the neighbourhood or transitioning from renting to homeownership.
“Railings has been instrumental in supporting next-generation living here at Middlewood Locks, providing opportunities for renters to get a foot on the property ladder, families to find homes with gardens and play areas, and existing residents to upgrade without leaving the neighbourhood. Watching our community evolve is truly rewarding – it’s the people who make this place a home!”
Peter Leonard, Senior Manager of Structured Real Estate Finance at Homes England, added:
“We are very pleased to see residents moving into Railings, which represents our second allocation of funding at Middlewood Locks from the Government’s Levelling Up Home Building Fund. This project is an excellent example of how sustainable communities are created, offering a variety of mixed-tenure homes to support residents at every stage of life. Congratulations to Scarborough Group and its partners for their commitment to long-term investment and best practices.”
We are now preparing to move forward with the next phases of residential homes, which will be located on land overlooking the Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal near Manchester City Centre. These future developments form part of our wider masterplan for Middlewood Locks, ensuring the continued evolution of this thriving community.
At Scarborough Group, we’re always looking for opportunities to shape vibrant, sustainable communities. That’s why we’ve partnered with Greyfriars Investments to explore the future potential of a 270-acre site on the outskirts of Flaxby, Harrogate.
Situated next to Junction 47 of the A1(M), this site holds significant promise for contributing to North Yorkshire’s long-term economic growth and development. Previously a golf course, the land was acquired from administrators in 2016 with consent for a hotel and golf resort. Alternative proposals, including an eco-village resort, were considered in the past but did not move forward. Now, we’re taking a fresh approach.
Following a strategic review of the site in 2022/23, we have joined as a new partner to help shape its future. As part of this process, we have submitted the site for consideration in North Yorkshire Council’s new Local Plan. This plan will guide development across the county for the next 15 to 20 years, and we want to ensure our proposals align with regional needs and policies.
With the council currently issuing a ‘Call for Sites,’ we’re actively engaging in this initiative to ensure the land’s potential is properly assessed. We believe in taking a responsible and collaborative approach, working closely with local stakeholders to create a vision that balances community priorities with sustainable economic growth.
Our Development Director, Adam Varley, emphasises the importance of collaboration in shaping the future of this site:
“Our partnership with Greyfriars Investments represents an exciting step in understanding how this site can support North Yorkshire’s wider development strategy. While it’s still early days, we’re committed to working with local communities and stakeholders to ensure any future plans reflect their priorities and concerns. With our proven track record in delivering major mixed-use developments, such as Thorpe Park in Leeds, we are well-positioned to contribute meaningfully to this conversation.”
Greyfriars Investments also shares our vision, as Jamie Macnamara explains:
“We’re pleased to be working with Scarborough Group to explore the opportunities for the Flaxby site. Their expertise in employment-led developments and deep understanding of regional priorities make them the perfect partner as we seek to create a sustainable, deliverable vision for the site.”
At Scarborough Group, we take pride in delivering transformative projects that leave a lasting impact. Over the past six decades, we’ve evolved into one of the UK’s leading privately-owned mixed-use property developers, with an extensive portfolio of commercial and residential developments. Our goal is to create spaces where people can live, work, and thrive, while fostering economic growth and strengthening local communities.
We look forward to engaging further with the community and key stakeholders as we explore the full potential of this site. Stay tuned for updates as we continue this journey.
We’re delighted to announce the appointment of Deb Hetherington as our new Director of Innovation Ecosystems. This strategic hire represents an important step in our ambition to create innovation-led ecosystems that drive regional growth, generate high-value jobs, and position the UK as a global leader in science and technology.
Deb is a highly respected figure in the North’s health, tech and digital sectors. As a self-employed innovation consultant, she has worked extensively across both the public and private sectors, shaping strategies for regional growth. Her impressive track record includes advising businesses on artificial intelligence adoption, supporting academic research at Leeds Beckett University, and contributing to national economic discussions as a Forum member at the Productivity Institute. In her role as Executive Director at Leeds Digital, Deb has played a key part in driving the social and economic growth of the region’s digital community.
Before establishing her consultancy, Hey Innovation, Deb was Head of Innovation at Bruntwood SciTech, where she successfully developed and implemented innovation strategies for sites across the UK. Her experience and expertise make her ideally suited to lead our efforts in creating dynamic, innovation-focused communities.
In her new role, Deb will work to connect businesses with opportunities across our developments while strengthening relationships with universities, NHS trusts and other key stakeholders. Her focus will be on two of our flagship projects: Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park and The Old Medical School in Leeds.
Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park is already recognised as a world-class destination for health and wellbeing innovation. The 80-acre development is home to state-of-the-art facilities, including the Advanced Wellbeing Research Centre and the English Institute of Sport Sheffield, and provides space for a wide range of health-related businesses. Building on the city’s Olympic legacy, the Park drives collaboration, research and commercial activity aimed at enhancing global health and wellbeing.
The Old Medical School, situated on the Leeds General Infirmary site, forms part of Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust’s Innovation Village. This transformative project will see the historic Grade II* listed building redeveloped into a hub for medical technology, life sciences, and healthcare innovation. As the first phase of Leeds’ wider Innovation Arc, the Old Medical School will play a vital role in establishing the city as a leading destination for health and technology innovation.
Commenting on her appointment, Deb said:
“Through my experience working on multiple developments and building networks across innovation sites around the world, it’s become increasingly clear that the strength of partnerships within these ecosystems is key to success. Building impactful and strategic relationships across the public and private sectors, with a shared vision and a strong appetite for collaboration, is essential for growth. Scarborough Group’s projects are uniquely positioned to harness these connections, and I am excited to join the team at such a pivotal stage to help shape and expand their innovation strategy and footprint.”
Kevin McCabe, Founder and Chairman of Scarborough Group International, added:
“Deb’s appointment reflects our commitment to advancing our innovation agenda. Her expertise in building ecosystems and her deep understanding of the needs of digital and tech businesses make her an invaluable addition to our team. We are confident that her leadership will help us realise the full potential of Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park and The Old Medical School in Leeds, creating thriving hubs for innovation and economic growth.”
We’re proud to continue building places that inspire and enable people, businesses and communities to thrive. With Deb’s expertise, we look forward to driving innovation and leaving a lasting positive impact on the regions where we operate.
We’re excited to announce the appointment of a highly-skilled design team to lead the transformation of the Grade II* listed Old Medical School, located on the Leeds General Infirmary site, into a cutting-edge Health Tech Innovation Hub.
The team will be led by Leeds-based architectural practice AHR, renowned for their expertise in life sciences and innovation projects such as Nexus at the University of Leeds and The Spine in Liverpool. Supporting them is Buro Happold as Engineering Consultant, Buttress as Heritage Consultant, Burnley Wilson Fish as Quantity Surveyor, and Zerum as Planning Consultant. Together, this experienced team will ensure the successful delivery of this ambitious project, balancing the building’s rich heritage with the demands of modern functionality.
This redevelopment is part of our agreement to acquire the building from Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (LTHT) once the property is vacated later this year. The Old Medical School will be repurposed as a Health Tech Innovation Hub, marking the first phase of LTHT’s Innovation Village and a significant part of Leeds’ £1.5 billion Innovation Arc.
The 75,000 sq ft hub will include co-working spaces, meeting rooms, event areas, offices and laboratories. Designed to encourage collaboration, it will bring together university spinouts, start-ups, established companies and industry leaders to work alongside the NHS and academic institutions. Our goal is to create an environment where scientific research can lead to practical healthcare solutions, driving economic growth and improving patient care.
By integrating historic architecture with contemporary innovation, the hub will cultivate creativity, collaboration and technological advancements that will shape the future of healthcare within Leeds and the wider West Yorkshire region.
Mark Jackson, spokesperson for SGI, said:
“The Old Medical School is a very complicated building, located in the middle of a working hospital site, which brings unique challenges to its redevelopment. It will also serve as a catalyst for the wider Innovation Village, so it’s absolutely essential we have the right team on board to get this right.
“With AHR’s expertise in life sciences, Buttress’s heritage sensitivity, and the trusted collaboration of Buro Happold, BWF and Zerum, we’re confident this team has the experience and capability to deliver on every aspect of this ambitious vision.”
Professor Phil Wood, Chief Executive at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs the Leeds General Infirmary site, added:
“Progress with the redevelopment of the Old Medical School is moving ahead really well, breathing new life into this grand, historic building that has witnessed countless contributions to healthcare in Leeds and across the world. Under this work, that legacy will continue.
“It is a key part of wider plans in this part of the city to create an Innovation Village, transforming health and life science-led research and care. It will also complement the development of a new state-of-the-art hospital on the Leeds General Infirmary site.”
Gurminder Sanghera, Director at AHR, commented:
“This redevelopment marks a significant milestone for the city of Leeds, at the heart of the Innovation Arc. The Old Medical School has a rich heritage, and our vision is to seamlessly weave in modern interventions to create an innovative facility that will foster and support a new community and ecosystem where cutting-edge health tech innovations can take place within a dramatic setting, whilst preserving and celebrating the building’s historical significance. This project is a true testament to the power of architecture to bridge past and future, in an exemplar and sustainable retrofit solution.”
The design team is now working to refine the plans for the redevelopment, with a pre-application submission to Leeds City Council scheduled for early 2025.
This December, the Brunswick Shopping Centre will come alive with festive cheer as it hosts a vibrant Christmas Fair.
Organised by Yorkshire In Business (YIB), the fair will feature up to 50 independent traders, offering a variety of unique gifts, handmade crafts and seasonal delights. The event will run from 10 am to 4 pm on Saturday 14th and Sunday 15th December 2024.
The Christmas Fair is part of a wider initiative to keep Brunswick alive with activity ahead of its redevelopment into the newly-reimagined ‘Square One’. The fair also offers an exciting opportunity to support local independent businesses, celebrating the creativity and passion of Scarborough’s entrepreneurial spirit while encouraging the community to shop local this Christmas.
Visitors can expect much more than just shopping. The market will feature live entertainment, including performances from local choirs and singers, as well as fun family activities like panto appearances. Delicious seasonal food and drink options will also be available, making it the perfect festive day out for all ages.
YIB, a Scarborough-based not-for-profit organisation dedicated to supporting start-ups, entrepreneurs, and small businesses, are no strangers to the Brunswick Centre. They previously organised a successful Female Seller Showcase, which highlighted the talents of local women entrepreneurs. With a long-standing commitment to fostering local economic growth, YIB provides tailored advice, mentoring, and opportunities for businesses to grow. Events like the Christmas Market reflect their ongoing work to promote independent traders and enhance the vibrancy of town centres.
Jenn Holden of YIB commented:
“We’re so excited to bring this festive fair to the Brunswick Centre. It’s a wonderful opportunity for local independent traders to showcase their products, connect with the community and make the most of this busy time of year. Yorkshire in Business is proud to work with small businesses and events like this highlight just how much talent and creativity we have right here in Scarborough.”
Rachel Vickers, Senior Commercial Manager at Scarborough Group, added:
“We’re delighted to host YIB’s Christmas Fair at the Brunswick. Supporting local independent traders is at the heart of this event, giving small businesses a platform to thrive while bringing festive cheer to the community during this key trading period.
“The redevelopment of Brunswick Shopping Centre into Square One is set to create a vibrant leisure-led destination for Scarborough, but events like the Christmas Fair play a key role in keeping the centre active and supporting the local community in the meantime.”
Make sure to visit the Brunswick Centre (soon to be Square One) on 14th and 15th December for a jam-packed weekend of festive shopping, entertainment and seasonal treats.
Queensferry One in Rosyth is more than just a prime industrial and logistics development. As part of a designated tax site within the Forth Green Freeport, it offers businesses a range of financial advantages designed to stimulate economic growth and sustainability. But what does it really mean to operate in a designated tax site and how can this benefit companies setting up at Queensferry One?
What is a designated tax site?
A designated tax site is a zone within a freeport – or, in Scotland’s case, a green freeport – where businesses can access special tax reliefs, customs benefits and other incentives to cut costs and drive investment. These tax sites are intended to boost local economies by encouraging regional growth, attracting foreign investment and creating high-quality jobs, all while accelerating the nation’s just transition to net zero.
There are four main designated tax sites within the Forth Green Freeport, each chosen to drive economic activity in strategically important locations:
Queensferry One’s prime location in Rosyth puts it at the heart of the Forth Green Freeport. Officially designated as tax sites in June 2024, these areas provide access to valuable financial incentives that support investment, job creation and sustainable development across the region.
What are the key benefits?
As part of a designated tax site, Queensferry One offers a range of financial incentives for up to 10 years, making it an attractive choice for businesses looking to locate here. These include:
This relief is especially valuable for companies with large infrastructure or warehousing needs, as it frees up funds that can be reinvested in operations, technology or workforce development.
This allows qualifying businesses to write off more of their investments in equipment, machinery and other assets. The recent Autumn Budget 2024 further confirmed the continuation of “full expensing” for qualifying investments, which means businesses can deduct the entire cost of eligible assets in the year they are purchased. Additionally, the £1 million Annual Investment Allowance (AIA) remains in place, providing even more scope for tax relief. These measures are particularly beneficial for sectors like manufacturing, logistics and technology, where staying competitive relies on access to the latest resources.
To encourage job creation within the tax site, the Forth Green Freeport offers relief on Employer National Insurance contributions, reducing payroll costs and making it more affordable for companies to expand their workforce. This relief is now even more valuable following the Autumn Budget’s announcement of an increase in Employer NICs, with the rate rising by 1.2% from April 2025 and the threshold dropping from £9,100 to £5,000 per annum.
Queensferry One’s location in the Forth Green Freeport also means businesses can benefit from streamlined customs processes and tariff reliefs. Import and export-focused companies can take advantage of simplified customs procedures, reducing shipping times, compliance costs and tariffs on eligible goods. These customs benefits are ideal for businesses in trade-intensive sectors, offering a seamless route to international markets without the usual customs delays and complex paperwork.
Why choose Queensferry One?
Queensferry One’s location within a designated tax site isn’t just an added perk; it’s a strategic asset for businesses looking to grow sustainably and cost-effectively. The site’s strong transport links, proximity to the Port of Rosyth and Edinburgh Airport, and access to a skilled workforce make it an ideal setting for companies wanting to thrive in Central Scotland.
For more information, visit queensferryone.co.uk.
Scotland’s commitment to a net-zero economy by 2045 is more than a policy – it’s a movement bringing innovation, sustainability and economic resilience to the forefront. Key to this green transformation are renewable energy clusters, where businesses, research institutions and policy makers work together to solve today’s most pressing environmental challenges. Nowhere is this more evident than in the Forth Green Freeport, a dynamic ecosystem designed to encourage sustainable growth and green innovation.
A dynamic ecosystem
At the heart of the Forth Green Freeport lies Queensferry One, the largest and most significant development site of its kind in Central Scotland. As an ideal location for companies that prioritise low-carbon growth, Queensferry One offers substantial financial benefits for a number of sectors including renewable energy and advanced manufacturing. Through incentives such as enhanced capital allowances, non-domestic rates relief, LBTT relief and reduced National Insurance contributions, the Forth Green Freeport framework directly supports the UK Industrial Strategy’s goal of “Clean Growth.” This combination of logistical advantages and supportive financial instruments makes it easier than ever for companies to adopt greener practices, invest in renewable energy technology and operate with sustainability at their core.
Why Queensferry One stands out
Queensferry One isn’t just a convenient place to locate a business; it’s part of a thriving green ecosystem that’s well-connected, collaborative and forward-thinking. The site offers proximity to the Port of Rosyth, key rail links and major motorways, streamlining supply chains and reducing emissions related to logistics and transportation. For businesses looking to cut operational carbon footprints, this combination of multi-modal access and central location is a game-changer.
Beyond infrastructure, Queensferry One is part of a vibrant community of like-minded companies and institutions committed to sustainable business practices. Situated near nine universities, including renowned institutions like St Andrews and Heriot-Watt, it provides businesses with access to partnerships for R&D, workforce acquisition and cutting-edge innovation. This collaborative setting means companies can draw from a rich talent pool and work alongside other organisations with shared goals. It’s an environment where a simple idea can easily become the next breakthrough in clean technology.
Building Scotland’s green legacy
Locating your business at Queensferry One isn’t just a smart operational move – it’s a commitment to Scotland’s green future. For companies eager to lead in sustainable practices, Queensferry One provides a base to build a lasting legacy of environmental responsibility.
With the Autumn Statement on the horizon, there’s hope for even more support for Scotland’s green growth hubs. Businesses located within green energy clusters could benefit from potential policy enhancements that further incentivise sustainable investment. As Queensferry One leads the charge in Central Scotland’s renewable landscape, these anticipated measures could enhance Scotland’s green business ecosystem, attracting companies committed to innovation and clean growth.
Visit queensferryone.co.uk to learn more about how your business can be part of this movement.
We’re delighted to announce the expansion of our life sciences portfolio across Yorkshire with the acquisition of the Old Medical School in Leeds.
Since being selected as the preferred bidder for the property by Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust in May 2024, we have been operating under an exclusivity agreement to develop our plans for the historic building’s ambitious redevelopment into a cutting-edge Health Tech Innovation Hub.
As a key component of the city’s new Innovation Village, the 75,000 sq ft building will be designed to support Health Tech innovation activity around Leeds Teaching Hospitals’ Innovation Pop Up, alongside start-ups, established industry players, academic institutions, government initiatives and community organisations.
Featuring co-working spaces, meeting rooms, event areas, offices and laboratories, the hub will be a catalyst for collaboration to advance scientific research into practical healthcare solutions, driving economic growth and improving patient care.
By integrating historic architecture with contemporary innovation, the hub will cultivate creativity, collaboration and technological advancements that will shape the future of healthcare within Leeds and the wider West Yorkshire region.
Simon McCabe, our Chief Executive, shared his thoughts on this exciting project:
“This is a pivotal moment for us at SGI as we deepen our commitment to the UK’s life sciences sector. We fully support the Government’s vision of building a world-leading healthcare and life sciences hub. The sector holds tremendous potential to not only boost economic growth but also improve health outcomes for thousands of people across the UK. We’re proud to be part of this transformative journey.”
Professor Phil Wood, Chief Executive at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, said:
“I’m delighted we’re moving forward with the redevelopment of the Old Medical School. This grand building will soon become a leading Health Tech Innovation Hub, something Leeds can be truly proud of. It’s a key part of the wider Innovation Village, which will revolutionize health and life sciences development while complementing the new state-of-the-art hospital at Leeds General Infirmary. This hub will drive innovation that will directly impact patient care for years to come.”
Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire, added:
“As the home of NHS England and Europe’s largest teaching hospital, Leeds is already a global hub for health innovation. We’re ranked among the top five cities in the world for Health Tech firms. With our multi-million-pound Investment Zone, projects like the Old Medical School are pushing our region to the forefront of the global Health Tech sector. By bringing together universities, clinicians, businesses, and investors, we’ll drive life-changing technological advancements, grow our economy, and build a brighter future for West Yorkshire.”
Councillor Jonathan Pryor, Deputy Leader of Leeds City Council, echoed these sentiments:
“The new hospital and Health Tech Innovation Hub are key elements of our £1.5 billion Innovation Arc and wider regional Investment Zone. These developments are essential to delivering innovation that leads to a healthier, greener, and more inclusive future for everyone. This progress reinforces Leeds as a leading Health Tech hub, benefiting both the city and patients, and it is a testament to the power of collaboration.”
Fox Lloyd Jones supported Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust throughout the marketing, developer selection, negotiation and disposal process for the Old Medical School.
We’re pleased to announce the formation of a strategic partnership with Sheffield Technology Parks (STP) through which we will enhance the Steel City Stadium occupier experience at Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park.
The partnership seeks to attract and nurture the brightest minds in these key sectors, providing a supportive environment for the exploration, innovation and delivery of ground-breaking solutions to some of society’s biggest health and wellbeing issues.
Inspired by the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park is a flagship regeneration initiative designed to bring together expertise from academia, elite sports, the NHS, and the public and private sectors to improve health outcomes across the entire population.
The Park is already home to world-leading sports, research and educational facilities, including the English Institute of Sport Sheffield, iceSheffield, Canon Medical Arena, LivingCare Medical Diagnostic Centre, Sheffield Hallam University’s Advanced Wellbeing Research Centre and National Centre of Excellence for Food Engineering, and UTC Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park.
As Sheffield City Council’s development partner for Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park, we’re focused on expanding our commercial space offering and has brought on board the expertise of STP to enhance the overall occupier experience.
Established over three decades ago, STP has become a cornerstone of the city’s technology and innovation landscape, currently hosting 30 tech or tech enabled businesses. Renowned not only for its serviced office and lab spaces but also for its specialised support for start-ups and scaling businesses, STP fosters an inclusive and collaborative community, closely connected to the wider tech ecosystem.
The initial focus will be on building a supportive business community at Steel City Stadium, SGI’s dedicated incubation centre for spin-outs, start-ups and scale-ups. This will include the creation of a vibrant business lounge to create a hub for like-minded entrepreneurs to innovate, collaborate and learn from each other.
Ian Sanderson, Estates and Development Consultant at SGI, commented:
“This collaboration marks a pivotal moment for the continued development of Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park as we move forward with our ambitious plans to expand the commercial space offerings available and enrich the experience of those choosing to work here.
“Partnering with Sheffield Technology Parks allows us to tap into South Yorkshire’s thriving tech ecosystem, elevating support for our business community and helping to facilitate the ground-breaking research and innovation in sports, health and wellbeing taking place at Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park.”
Reflecting on the wider impact of this collaboration, CEO of STP, Tom Wolfenden, explained:
“Working together, we want to not only boost the growth prospects and success for the businesses at Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park, but also strengthen the region’s position as a hub for innovation and technological excellence by attracting national and international organisations to the Park.
“We’ve been able to make real progress over the past years in creating an ecosystem where digital technology companies can thrive. Now I’m excited to focus on the sports, health and wellbeing industries – an already exciting scene in Sheffield – and create mutual benefit for all parties as we build an even stronger reputation in this area of innovation.”
For more information about Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park visit sheffieldolympiclegacypark.co.uk.
The Brunswick in Scarborough is to be given a brand new identity as part of an ambitious redevelopment project that aims to redefine and revitalise the town centre.
The centre will be renamed ‘Square One’ (SQ1), as we prepare to undertake extensive redevelopment works that will see it transformed into a vibrant, leisure-led destination.
The new name, developed in collaboration with strategy and creative consultancy Keane, is inspired by the historic role of town squares as vibrant hubs for community interaction, commerce and celebration, and reflects an ambition to continually move forward and evolve. The new logo for SQ1 captures this essence with a perfect square at the centre of the ‘Q’, symbolising a focus on the central space.
Dominating Scarborough’s prime town centre position on Westborough, the Brunswick performed well for many years since its opening in 1990, peaking at an annual average footfall of 7 million. However, like so many similar centres across the country, changing consumer shopping habits, accelerated by the pandemic, and the loss of its anchor tenant, Debenhams, led to a critical decline.
Shortly after acquiring the Brunswick, we secured planning consent to transform it into a leisure-led destination anchored by a multi-screen cinema. The redevelopment will also feature a mix of bars, eateries, and shops, a new entrance on Somerset Terrace to enhance connectivity between the high street and the seafront, and improved parking provisions.
In a significant recent development, we announced that we had secured Europe’s largest cinema chain, ODEON, as the anchor cinema operator for the redevelopment. With a state-of-the-art cinema now confirmed, and North Yorkshire Council’s study to review its potential support for the project approved, our leasing team is preparing the next phase of our letting strategy at Completely Retail Marketplace, the UK’s premier retail, leisure and hospitality event, which is taking place in London on 24 September 2024.
Nicola Bulley, Group Head of Marketing at SGI, commented:
“The rebranding of the Brunswick to SQ1 represents more than a simple name change; it signifies our commitment to creating a vibrant leisure-led destination that embodies community spirit and respects tradition while embracing innovation and renewal.
“We’re excited to roll out the new brand as we move towards the construction phase and look forward to announcing an exciting line-up of new occupiers very soon.”
Dave Cressey, Managing Partner at Keane, added:
“Keane are proud to partner with SGI to create an exciting new leisure destination for Scarborough. We have worked closely together to develop a great proposition and translate it into a compelling new brand identity and engaging environment that will reinvigorate the town’s social scene and serve the good people of Scarborough for many years to come.”
Barker Proudlove and Savills are the appointed letting agents for SQ1. For further information, please contact Steve Henderson steveh@barkerproudlove.co.uk or Josh Howe jhowe@savills.com.
Europe’s largest cinema chain, ODEON, will anchor cinema operator for our leisure-focused redevelopment of Square One (formerly the Brunswick Centre) at the heart of the town of Scarborough.
With a state-of-the-art, multi-screen ODEON Luxe cinema now confirmed, we’re now preparing the next phase of our letting strategy at Completely Retail Marketplace, the UK’s premier retail, leisure and hospitality event, which is taking place in London on 24 September 2024.
ODEON is no stranger to Scarborough, having operated in the town from 1936 to 1988. Originally located just 300 metres from SQ1, where the Stephen Joseph Theatre now stands, ODEON was a cultural cornerstone of the town for over fifty years. It eventually closed its doors after plans to modernise the building were rejected due to its listed status.
Once complete, the new development will offer 20 units ranging from 250 sq ft to 20,000 sq ft across three floors to provide spaces for national and regional restaurant brands and leisure operators, along with a selection of kiosks and shared spaces for independent food and beverage operators from the local area.
The announcement comes on the heels of North Yorkshire Council’s recent decision to approve a budget to start work to review its potential support for the project.
Mark Jackson, spokesperson for SGI, added:
“Bringing ODEON back to Scarborough after an absence of more than three decades is a key milestone in our vision to transform the SQ1 into a premier leisure-led destination.
“With ODEON Luxe, residents and visitors will no longer have to travel over an hour to York for a premium cinema experience, bringing greater convenience and entertainment options right to their doorstep.
“Once complete, the transformed SQ1 will fill some obvious gaps in the leisure and entertainment offer in the town but, critically, will also be a catalyst for the further economic regeneration of the town centre.”
North Yorkshire Council has welcomed the news of ODEON’s planned return to Scarborough, viewing the transformation of SQ1 as key to its plans to revitalise the town centre.
North Yorkshire Council’s corporate director for community development, Nic Harne, said:
“A new cinema will be great news for Scarborough. We look forward to seeing the Scarborough Group and other partners bringing this complex regeneration project to fruition.”
David Skaith, Mayor of York and North Yorkshire, added:
“I am delighted to see that the relaunch of [SQ1] is well underway, and ODEON Luxe has today been revealed as the focal point for this revamped, leisure-led experience for Scarborough to enjoy.
“Our high streets have been through a challenging time, and we need to support them to change and adapt. Developments like these fit in with our ambitions to build vibrant and sustainable places fit for the future.
“This development will benefit both residents and tourists and we believe this will be a catalyst for further regeneration, which we are already seeing with the expansion of many nationally significant businesses that are headquartered in Scarborough.”
We originally bought SQ1 in September 2021 and, the following year, unveiled our plans to transform it into a vibrant, leisure-led destination featuring a multi-screen cinema and a complementary mix of bars, eateries and shops. These proposals were unanimously approved by the former Scarborough Borough Council’s planning committee in March 2023.
Our Founder and Chairman, Kevin McCabe, has been shortlisted for the highly-esteemed Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2024 Family Business Awards. The recognition comes as a celebration of Kevin’s remarkable contribution to both the real estate industry and his long-standing leadership of Scarborough Group.
Kevin’s nomination for the Lifetime Achievement Award highlights his extraordinary journey, which spans over six decades of pioneering work in property development. Founded by Kevin in the 1970s, Scarborough Group has grown from humble beginnings into an international property investment and development company with an enviable portfolio of projects, the likes of which include Thorpe Park Leeds, Middlewood Locks Manchester, Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park and Queensferry One in Edinburgh.
As an organisation built on strong family values, Scarborough Group has also been shortlisted for Yorkshire Family Business of the Year at the same awards, further solidifying its reputation as a cornerstone of the local business community.
Commenting on the news, Kevin said:
“We are incredibly proud to be recognised as a leading family business. It speaks to the legacy we have worked hard to build, and continue to do so, one that values both enterprise and integrity.”
Scarborough Group has always been deeply-committed to family-centric principles. Kevin often speaks about the vital role his family has played in the growth of the company, emphasising the close-knit nature of the Scarborough Group team, which he likens to an extended family.
Kevin’s journey is marked by relentless determination and sacrifice. Starting in 1973 with his move from Sheffield to Scotland, he steadily expanded operations across Teesside, Edinburgh, Leeds, Manchester and London, quickly transforming Scarborough Group into an international powerhouse. By 2004, he had committed to expanding Scarborough Group’s real estate activities into Europe and the Far East, planning his headquarters to be in Brussels shortly after acquiring Property Fund Management plc in 2004, which had personnel in 10 European cities.
In 2005, Kevin also established a major equally owned joint venture with the Bank of Scotland which initially provided a Facility of €500m which, due to rapid success, was later increased by €250m allowing him and his then new European colleagues to purchase and manage a substantial portfolio of income-producing properties and development sites across more than 12 European cities. Kevin’s tireless dedication involved frequent travel to assess potential acquisitions and long hours at his Brussels base.
In addition to these achievements, Kevin’s inaugural book, Mucky Boots, hits the shelves last week (2 September 2024). Mucky Boots is a warts-and-all account of his two decades as owner-chairman of Sheffield United, a club close to his heart since childhood. Growing up just yards from Bramall Lane, Kevin spent his early years watching Sheffield United FC and Yorkshire County Cricket Club play at the stadium. The book reflects Kevin’s deep personal connection to the club and the city of Sheffield, and candidly explores his triumphs and challenges as he attempted to modernise the club and transform Bramall Lane into a world-class venue.
The Family Business Awards, organised by Family Business United, celebrate the best in family business across the UK. The winners will be announced at a gala event in London on 19 September 2024.
For more information about the Family Business Awards, visit familybusinessunited.com
This strategic appointment, effective immediately, reflects the Group’s commitment to enhancing its leadership team as it continues its growth trajectory across the UK.
Paul joined the Group in November 2015 as Development Director and, in September 2016, he was promoted to the board, where he has played a pivotal role in overseeing the delivery of our key commercial and mixed-use developments across the North West, Wales and Scotland.
As Managing Director, Paul will assume additional Real Estate operational duties, allowing our Chief Executive, Simon McCabe, to focus on broader strategic initiatives aimed at accelerating the delivery of the Group’s portfolio of projects, growing Scarborough Management Services and driving the Blueprint serviced offices brand.
Simon commented:
“Paul has been instrumental in the success of our North West and residential divisions. His depth of experience and leadership will be crucial as we move into the next phase of our growth. This new role will allow me to focus on strategic initiatives and I am confident that under Paul’s guidance, the business will continue to thrive.”
Paul is a Chartered Surveyor with more than 20 years of experience in the UK property industry, specialising in large-scale regeneration projects across residential, commercial and other sectors. He has been instrumental in leading significant strategic developments for the Group, including projects like Middlewood Locks in Manchester and Queensferry One in Edinburgh.
Speaking on his promotion, Paul said:
“I am excited to take on this new challenge and build on the strong foundation we have established at Scarborough Group. My focus will be on driving forward our developments across the UK and ensuring we continue to deliver the high-quality projects we are known for. I look forward to working more closely with our talented team and continuing to support the company’s long-term vision.”
In his new role, Paul will also remain responsible for the day-to-day management of our Manchester office and continue to oversee the identification and delivery of our key commercial and mixed-use developments across the UK.
We’re delighted to announce that “Mucky Boots,” the unfiltered and compelling memoir of our Founder and Chairman, Kevin McCabe, is due to hit the book shelves on 2 September 2024.
This book delves into Kevin’s two decades at the helm of Sheffield United, offering a behind-the-scenes look at his journey from a local boy to a global property magnate.
Kevin’s story begins just yards from Bramall Lane, the historic home of Sheffield United FC and Yorkshire County Cricket Club. Leaving school at 16 to work on a building site, a few encouraging words set Kevin on a path to building a multimillion-pound property empire with a global footprint.
Driven by a fierce desire to outshine local rivals Sheffield Wednesday and return Sheffield United to Premier League glory, McCabe’s takeover of the club was marked by bold decisions and fierce determination. His tenure saw him challenging the football establishment on both national and international stages and navigating the fallout from the wrongful imprisonment of the club’s star striker.
In the midst of a contentious dispute with co-owner Prince Abdullah, McCabe’s fortunes took an unexpected turn with the appointment of Chris Wilder as manager in 2016. This decision propelled the Blades back to the Premier League, but also led to an ironic twist where both McCabe and Wilder eventually faced their exits from the club they cherished.
A No-Holds-Barred Account
“Mucky Boots” offers a raw and revealing look into McCabe’s 25 years of leadership at Sheffield United. Highlights of the book include:
Kevin collaborated with Peter Beeby to bring this story to life. Peter, a social entrepreneur and writer, is also the chair of an international health-tech company and an advisor to SMEs and charitable organizations. With a background as a UK Government Adviser and former chairman of Sheffield FC, Beeby brings a wealth of experience to this riveting narrative.
Discover the untold story of Kevin McCabe’s tenure at Sheffield United in “Mucky Boots,” a testament to his unwavering dedication and the dramatic highs and lows of football club ownership.
Out 2nd September 2024 but available to pre-order now from Amazon, Hive, WHSmith, Waterstones and Bookshop.org.
We’re pleased to announce that we’ve brought renowned South Yorkshire-based real estate consultant, Ian Sanderson, on board to accelerate the next phase of development at Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park.
With 32 years of commercial development and specialist asset management experience, Ian is one of the UK’s leading leisure and retail property experts. His extensive involvement in all aspects of regeneration, development and delivery has established him as an expert in bringing footfall and vibrancy to high-profile projects across the UK.
As Sheffield City Council’s development partner for the project, we have a crucial role to play in helping to cement Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park as a world-leading life sciences and innovation hub focused on sport, health and wellbeing. To date, the Group has delivered the Steel City Stadium, which houses a dedicated incubation centre for spin-outs, start-ups and scale-ups, providing a fertile environment for innovation and entrepreneurship. Additionally, we also secured planning consent for the National Centre for Child Health Technology, laying the foundation for future advancements in paediatric healthcare on the Park.
Ian’s remit will see him build on these successes by promoting collaboration and engagement among partners and key stakeholders, ensuring alignment and progress against the Park’s mission of delivering an Olympic legacy through the four themes of sport, community, environment and economy. Additionally, he will work with SGI’s appointed design team to accelerate the delivery of its 1m sq ft masterplan for the next phase of Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park.
Ian is the Founder and CEO of SLR, which asset manages various schemes across the UK, including Springfields, a 45-acre retail and leisure scheme in Spalding for UBS Triton Fund. He has successfully delivered several town centre regeneration schemes and managed major distribution development projects and is currently acting as a development consultant and operator for the 300,000 sq ft Scotch Corner Designer Village in Richmond. Ian is also the Chairman of a large regional sports club, works on several sports-related developments, and is the project lead for the main hub building on the £24 million Stocksbridge Towns Fund. Additionally, he is a partner at BYTEWORKS, a specialist tech scale-up and repurposing vehicle aimed at addressing the tech sector’s need for grow-on space within a supportive environment.
In years past, Ian previously worked with SGI as part of a joint venture between Thornfield Investments and Teesland iOG, the property fund and asset management arm of SGI which was subsequently sold to Australian fund management business, VALAD in 2007.
Ian’s appointment follows the news that Dr Sherry Kothari has recently been appointed as the new Chair of Legacy Park Ltd, succeeding the Rt Hon Richard Caborn, who led the Park’s vision and development for nearly a decade until he stepped down in February this year.
Kevin McCabe, Chairman of SGI, commented:
“We’re thrilled to welcome Ian to the team. Having someone with his extensive experience and innovative approach based on-site will really help to establish and cement relationships with partners and key stakeholders that will prove invaluable as we enter this next phase of the project.
“Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park’s development will not only enhance South Yorkshire’s reputation as a centre of expertise for innovation and life sciences, but also contribute significantly to the local economy, creating jobs and opportunities for innovation and collaboration so it is essential that we drive forward our plans with enthusiasm and determination.”
Ian added:
“I’m delighted to be supporting Scarborough Group on this exciting and transformative project.
“The vision for Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park is truly inspiring and I look forward to working with the team to help bring it to life.”
For more information about Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park and its development plans, please visit www.sheffieldolympiclegacypark.co.uk.
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Queensferry One, located in Rosyth on the northern bank of the Firth of Forth, has transformed from a historic military hub into a pivotal development site within the Forth Green Freeport. This rejuvenated industrial zone is poised to become a powerhouse of innovation and growth, particularly in Scotland’s burgeoning renewable energy sector.
From Naval Heritage to Industrial Innovation
Queensferry One’s storied past as a naval dockyard began in the early 1900s, supporting the Royal Navy’s operations throughout both World Wars. The Rosyth Dockyard played a crucial role in shipbuilding, repair and refitting, with its expansive dry docks and cranes becoming iconic landmarks. After the decline of naval activities, the site shifted focus, adapting to the needs of the modern industrial economy.
In recent years, Queensferry One has embraced its role as a hub for new industries. The shift from military to civilian use has paved the way for extensive redevelopment, positioning the site as a strategic asset within the Forth Green Freeport.
The Role of Scarborough Muir Group in Queensferry One’s Transformation
A driving force behind the redevelopment of Queensferry One has been Scarborough Muir Group (SMG), a 50:50 joint venture between the Yorkshire-based property developer, Scarborough Group International, and Inverkeithing-based contractor, Muir Group. Since acquiring the site in the late 1990s, SMG has been instrumental in transforming the former naval dockyard into an oven-ready development site.
Following planning permission for enabling works in 2003, SMG embarked on an extensive land remediation strategy to prepare the site for development. This ambitious project included the challenging task of demolishing a bomb-proof bunker that had stored fuel for naval ships during wartime. The bunker, comprising over one million tonnes of reinforced concrete, was meticulously broken up using explosives. The resulting material was repurposed as hardcore for various infrastructure projects throughout Fife, showcasing a sustainable approach to redevelopment.
The comprehensive remediation works were completed in early 2023, laying the groundwork for the creation of more than 1.2 million square feet of employment space across 120 acres of land.
A Strategic Gateway to Renewable Opportunities
With the designation of Special Tax Site status under the Forth Green Freeport, which became effective from 12 June 2024, Queensferry One is ideally positioned to attract a diverse range of businesses, particularly those in the renewable energy and advanced manufacturing sectors. The Freeport’s incentives, including tax reliefs and streamlined customs processes, alongside the site’s oven-ready status, provide an attractive proposition for companies looking to invest in Scotland’s industrial and economic future.
Simon McCabe, Chief Executive at Scarborough Group, said:
“Scotland’s push towards a net-zero future is accelerating and, with significant renewable energy projects slated for development, the demand for high-quality, strategically-located industrial and logistics space is at an all-time high. Queensferry One offers unparalleled opportunities for businesses to establish a presence within the Forth Green Freeport, providing a flexible accommodation options tailored to their operational needs.”
Spanning over 120 acres, Queensferry One boasts ample room for development, offering flexibility and space for businesses to grow and innovate. With its proximity to the Forth’s deep water access points, and excellent transport links including rail and motorway connections, the site is primed for companies in the renewables and manufacturing sectors.
A Vision for the Future
Dame Susan Rice DBE, Chair of Forth Green Freeport, commented:
“We see Queensferry One as a key part of our vision for the strategic development of the Forth Green Freeport. The site’s transformation from a naval base to a commercial powerhouse underscores the dynamic economic landscape of Scotland. We are excited to be working with Scarborough Muir Group to leverage its strategic location and extensive infrastructure to attract investment, foster job creation and drive sustainable development across the region.”
The inclusion of Queensferry One in the Forth Green Freeport initiative brings a wealth of opportunities not only for businesses but also for the local community. The expected influx of investment and development is set to create significant employment opportunities, reinvigorating the local economy and fostering long-term growth.
The strategic location of Queensferry One offers businesses direct access to the vibrant energy sector in Scotland. With the ongoing development of offshore wind farms and other renewable energy projects in the North Sea, the site provides an ideal base for companies looking to capitalise on Scotland’s commitment to renewable energy and sustainable practices.
Simon McCabe added:
“Our focus is on providing a platform where businesses can thrive in a supportive and innovative environment. The combination of Queensferry One’s rich history, strategic location and Freeport benefits creates a compelling case for companies seeking to relocate or expand their operations in Scotland.”
As Queensferry One continues to evolve, it stands as a testament to the enduring spirit of adaptation and growth. From its roots as a naval dockyard to its future as a linchpin in one of Scotland’s two Green Freeports, Queensferry One is set to play a pivotal role in the country’s journey towards a sustainable and prosperous future.
For more information, visit www.queensferryone.co.uk or follow Queensferry One on LinkedIn and X (formerly Twitter).
The Forth Green Freeport (FGF) is officially “open for business” today, 12 June 2024, following approval from the Scottish and UK Governments of its Outline Business Case and the designation of its three tax sites located in Grangemouth, Rosyth, Mid-Forth (Leith and Burntisland). This major step unlocks the investment incentives to deliver the green freeport vision.
This significant milestone for the public / private consortium, which is Chaired by Dame Susan Rice DBE, will attract new businesses and new jobs into the FGF area, aided by a suite of financial incentives to deliver major economic and net zero benefits for Scotland as a whole and the local communities in Fife, Falkirk, Leith and beyond.
Focusing on the key target sectors of offshore wind, hydrogen, sustainable fuels, modular manufacturing and logistics, FGF will support the re-industrialisation of Central Scotland and large-scale economic regeneration over the next decade.
Forecasts indicate that there is the potential to attract £7bn of private and public investment over the next decade, delivering Gross Value Added (GVA) of £8.4bn. This could generate up to 38,350 well paid, highly skilled, green jobs, with almost 19,000 of these being direct gross jobs linked to the FGF’s target sectors and tax sites.
Dame Susan Rice DBE, Chair of Forth Green Freeport, said:
“This is it, Forth Green Freeport is officially open for business. It is an important time for the Green Freeport as we move through the business case development phase to delivery for Scotland.
“Through innovations in offshore wind manufacturing, assembly and commissioning, alongside innovative shipbuilding, modular assembly and hydrogen manufacture, the country’s net zero targets can be boosted by Forth Green Freeport.
“This is a long-term project and one which we know will deliver real benefits to the local communities through economic growth, skills re-training and training and access to high quality, green jobs.”
The potential of the FGF was highlighted by the news that Vestas, has identified the Port of Leith as a possible location for a wind turbine blade manufacturing facility. This is an example of how Green Freeport status can be used to boost Scotland’s renewable energy credentials with the potential to create hundreds of quality, green jobs in Scotland, supporting the just transition to net zero.
The investment incentives will only apply to businesses who commit to and deliver against a set of demanding Investor Principles that will guide all landowners and developers. This will include abiding by the Fair Work Charter, which prioritises the rights, wages and working conditions of employees. The principles also require businesses to buy into Forth Green Freeport’s net zero commitments.
Strong governance is a key thread with a governing board with public and private sector members already established and active and with an independent Chair, Dame Susan Rice DBE. It comprises representatives from all consortium partners and includes elected members from all three local authorities and advisers from both the Scottish and UK Governments. An invitation has also been extended to the Scottish Trades Union Council (STUC) to have a worker representative on the board.
Dame Susan Rice added:
“Strong governance is at the core of Forth Green Freeport as we focus sharply on ensuring that the Green Freeport operates to the highest standards. Workers’ rights will be protected, money will be spent wisely and all of the investors we attract to benefit from the incentives that the Green Freeport offers will be as committed as we are to ensuring that the most significant beneficiaries from this long-term initiative are the people from the communities around the Forth Green Freeport.”
Our flagship project, Queensferry One, located in Rosyth on the northern bank of the Firth of Forth, has transformed from a historic military hub into a pivotal development site within the Forth Green Freeport.
With the designation of Special Tax Site status under the Forth Green Freeport, Queensferry One is ideally positioned to attract a diverse range of businesses, particularly those in the renewable energy and advanced manufacturing sectors. The Freeport’s incentives, including tax reliefs and streamlined customs processes, alongside the site’s oven-ready status, provide an attractive proposition for companies looking to invest in Scotland’s industrial and economic future.
Simon McCabe, Chief Executive at Scarborough Group, said:
“Scotland’s push towards a net-zero future is accelerating and, with significant renewable energy projects slated for development, the demand for high-quality, strategically-located industrial and logistics space is at an all-time high. Queensferry One offers unparalleled opportunities for businesses to establish a presence within the Forth Green Freeport, providing a flexible accommodation options tailored to their operational needs.”
Following a successful tender process, we’re proud to announce that Scarborough Group has been selected by Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust as the preferred developer to transform the historic Old Medical School into a globally recognised health-tech innovation hub.
The proposed agreement to acquire and refurbish the grade II*-listed building represents the first phase in the delivery of the Innovation Village, a world-class cluster for science, innovation and technology surrounding the new hospital development at Leeds General Infirmary.
The Innovation Village is a transformational project encompassing more than 2.2m sq ft of development which will create up to 4,000 new jobs, more than 500 new homes and an economic boost of £13bn for West Yorkshire.
As part of our proposals, we have set out our ambitious plans to create a “health-tech ecosystem” at the Old Medical School to encourage collaboration between clinicians, academics, researchers and entrepreneurs, supporting start-ups and scale-ups to grow and help transform the future of healthcare.
It will build on the success of the trust’s Innovation Pop-Up, founded in 2021 to provide a front door for new and established businesses to partner with one of the UK’s largest teaching hospitals.
Our vision includes preserving the Old Medical School’s historic Tudor Gothic style while implementing contemporary enhancements to offer a dynamic and functional workspace. These includes laboratories, co-working spaces, offices and communal areas, along with a new atrium over the inner courtyard.
Completed in 1894, the original red-brick building was designed by Leeds architect WH Thorp as the home to one of the first provincial medical schools in England. The building currently houses the trust’s pathology department, which is relocating to the state-of-the-art Centre for Laboratory Medicine at St James’s University Hospital.
West Yorkshire Combined Authority has provisionally identified the Old Medical School as a major project set to benefit from the £160 million West Yorkshire Investment Zone. The project is expected to create 237 jobs.
The site is within the Innovation Arc, a series of connected neighbourhoods formed around Leeds General Infirmary, University of Leeds, Leeds Beckett University, Leeds Arts University and the city’s West End. The proposed use for the Old Medical School is in line with the council’s strategy to create a world-class district for research and innovation west of the city centre, as set out in its Innovation Arc supplementary planning document.
Leeds has one of the highest concentrations of health-tech employees in the UK and has the most high-growth health tech firms securing investment; the most health and care patents, strong demand for research and innovation skills and the highest proportion of bioscience undergraduates.
Leeds Teaching Hospitals has a long track record of medical breakthroughs including the world’s first double hand transplant and the world’s first procedure using non-invasive sonic beam therapy to target and destroy cancer tumours. Its fully-funded new hospital development at Leeds General Infirmary will include a new adults’ hospital, a new home for Leeds Children’s Hospital, and the UK’s largest single-site maternity and neonatal centre.
Dame Linda Pollard, chair of Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, said:
“We are delighted to announce Scarborough Group International as preferred developer and partner for the Old Medical School.
“Together we will create a health tech innovation hub that helps clinicians, researchers and entrepreneurs turn the latest scientific advances into successful new products and services that can improve health outcomes and drive economic growth.
“The Old Medical School has a proud history as a place of learning for past generations of surgeons and doctors and an exciting future as a hub for future generations of health tech innovators.”
Mark Jackson, group development director at SGI, commented:
“On behalf of SGI, we are immensely proud to have been selected as Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust’s preferred developer and partner for the transformation of the Old Medical School into a cutting-edge, health-tech innovation hub.
“By creating a dynamic environment where clinicians, academics, researchers and entrepreneurs can collaborate, innovate and grow, we want to help drive forward the development of ground-breaking technologies and solutions, and support their swift integration into the broader healthcare landscape, benefiting patients and advancing the forefront of medical innovation.
“With our existing role as Sheffield City Council’s development partner at Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park, the health, wellbeing and sport-focused innovation park in the Lower Don Valley, we have an extraordinary opportunity to promote collaboration across the wider Yorkshire region.”
The Minister for Investment, Lord Dominic Johnson, said:
“The UK continues to solidify its position on the world stage as a leader in science and technology.
“I’m delighted to see Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust leverage private sector investment to help create a globally recognised health tech innovation hub at its historic Old Medical School site. This exciting project taps into the UK’s strengths in the life sciences sector, fostering economic growth and innovative healthcare as part of the West Yorkshire Investment Zone.”
Tracy Brabin, mayor of West Yorkshire, said:
“Our multi-million pound investment zone will help us transform the Old Medical School into a global centre of innovation, as we bring together our universities, businesses and hospitals to drive the development of life-changing technologies, deliver thousands of skilled jobs, and transform the lives of patients worldwide.
“Through our investment zone, we’re changing our region for the long-term, working with partners like Leeds City Council and Leeds Teaching Hospitals to build a stronger, brighter West Yorkshire.”
Tom Riordan, chief executive of Leeds City Council, said:
“It’s fantastic news that Scarborough Group International has been appointed as the developer for the Old Medical School.
“The new hospital will be a beacon of innovation, accelerating the work done to date delivering our vision to stimulate innovation that delivers measurable impact towards a healthier, greener and inclusive future for all, and forming a key part of our £1.5 billion Innovation Arc.
“This project further strengthens Leeds’s position as a leading health tech hub and is a fantastic example of where Leeds consistently achieves and continues to deliver on large scale projects through public/private sector partnerships. It’s a real win for the city, patients and a testament to the power of our collaborative efforts.”
Property advisor Fox Lloyd Jones advised Leeds Teaching Hospitals during the marketing process for the Old Medical School.
A challenge to visit one of the UK’s disused waterways played host to a group of international visitors at our Middlewood Locks development in Salford as access was re-opened for the first time in 15 years.
As canal boat ‘Bersara’ (meaning ‘retirement’ in Malaysia) made its maiden voyage from the river Irwell through Lock one of the Manchester Bolton & Bury Canal, its crew received a VIP welcome on entering Lock three which sits in the heart of our £1bn Middlewood Locks urban regeneration neighbourhood.
The voyage by boat man Ian West was part of the Inland Waterways Association’s coveted ‘Silver Propeller Challenge’ to visit as many underused waterways as possible in any type of vessel.
Access to Middlewood Locks was possible thanks to the efforts of the Canal & River Trust and Manchester Bolton & Bury Canal Society that have worked over many years to re-open parts of the canal for leisure use.
Middlewood Locks developer Scarborough Group International (SGI), was hosting special guests from Singapore-listed property development and investment group, Metro Holdings which is a joint venture partner in the scheme. Whilst viewing the latest construction phase of ‘Railings’ luxury apartments, they were able to witness the potential of an active waterways passage through the now thriving neighbourhood.
Nicola Wallis, Group Sales & Marketing Director at Scarborough Group, said:
“It was so exciting for us to see Bersara make her maiden voyage through Middlewood Locks, bringing to life our ambition to make the waterways integral to living here.
“The Manchester, Bolton & Bury Canal provides important peace and tranquillity for our residents and visitors and is a vital green corridor supporting biodiversity. The waterway provides sustainable connectivity and the reopening of parts of the canal really resonates with the important values of our investment partners. It’s great to welcome canal boats back to Middlewood Locks and to see this part of the canal thrive once again.”
Mr Yip Hoong Mun, Group Chief Executive Officer, of Metro Holdings Limited said:
“It was fantastic to visit Middlewood Locks to see the progress of our long-term investment with our trusted partner, Scarborough Group International. Not only was it great to see inside Railings, which is our third phase of new apartments and amenity space at Middlewood Locks, but to witness the canal ways open and accessible was a wonderful surprise.”
The Manchester, Bolton & Bury Canal was made famous in the song ‘Dirty Old Town’, written by Salford born folk singer-songwriter Ewan MacColl and performed by The Dubliners and The Pogues. Hollywood legend James Mason starred in the film ‘Spring and Port Wine’, based on a play by Bolton’s own Bill Naughton, filmed at various locations along the canal.
Built in 1791 to transport goods as part of the industrial revolution, the Manchester, Bolton & Bury Canal lay derelict for many years following the demise of industrialisation, until 1987 when volunteers came together to establish the Manchester Bolton and Bury Canal Society.
The Canal originally ran north from Salford, on the River Irwell near Manchester, to Prestolee, near the village of Little Lever. Here it split into two: the main line continued to Bury, while a branch headed north-west to Bolton. The canal is now under active restoration.
A free canal-side neighbourhood festival is to take place on Saturday 18th May at Middlewood Locks in Salford to celebrate the re-opening of parts of the Manchester, Bolton & Bury Canal for the first time in 15 years.
‘Middlewood Locks Fest’ promises an action-packed fun day for all the family, including boats, music, art workshops, a makers’ market, heritage activities, contemporary performances, water-based activities, live entertainment and local street food vendors.
Further details for Middlewood Locks Fest can be found at Middlewood Locks – (middlewood-locks.co.uk)
Further details for a unique soundwalk experience also running through Middlewood Locks can be found at Hidden Canal | Walk the Plank
We’re thrilled to share that we’ve been selected as a finalist in the Developer of the Year category at the 2024 Property Awards, hosted by Property Week.
Amidst a year filled with continued economic and industry challenges, our place on the shortlist reflects our ongoing dedication to excellence, resilience and innovation in the real estate sector.
A significant milestone for us this year was the launch of Scarborough Management Services, a move that underscores our commitment to innovation and vision. This initiative offers tailored solutions to meet evolving market needs by combining the esteemed legacy of our former Teesland brand with our core development expertise. Scarborough Management Services provides a range of services, including development advisory, project management, asset management, property management, serviced office management, and residential management.
Despite the hurdles posed by the pandemic and economic uncertainty, we’ve remained steadfast and capable. Notable achievements include securing major lettings at No. 1 The Square at Thorpe Park Leeds and Endeavour, Sheffield Digital Campus, showcasing our ability to attract top-tier tenants even in challenging times.
As we celebrate our nomination for Developer of the Year, our commitment to driving innovation, delivering excellence, and shaping the future of real estate in the UK and beyond remains unwavering.
The ceremony is set to take place on Wednesday 3 July 2024 at the prestigious Grosvenor House Hotel in London.
From Tuesday 21 to Thursday 23 May 2024, we’ll be attending the third annual UK Real Estate Investment and Infrastructure Forum.
Senior colleagues from across the Group will be at Leeds Dock to discuss how we can work in partnership with owners, investors and occupiers to create inspiring spaces for people to live, work and enjoy.
Mark Jackson, Group Development Director
Paul Kelly, Group Development Director
Adam Varley, Development Director
Nicola Bulley, Group Marketing Director
We look forward to seeing you there!
A free canal-side neighbourhood festival will take place at Middlewood Locks in Salford on Saturday 18 May 2024 to celebrate the re-opening of parts of the Manchester, Bolton & Bury Canal for the first time in 15 years.
‘Middlewood Locks Fest’ promises an action-packed fun day for all the family, including boats, music, art workshops, a makers’ market, heritage activities, contemporary performances, water-based activities, live entertainment and local street food vendors.
Key highlights will include performances from the Fat Cat Brass Band and other live music programmed by ‘From the Other’, a unique sound walk created by local and international ‘Hidden Canal’ artists, and a makers’ market presented by artists from Islington Mill and Hot Bed Press.
Stalls will also be hosted by Manchester Bolton & Bury Canal Society, the Ramblers, the Irwell Catchment Partnership, Salford’s Health Improvement Team, the Angel Centre and Salford’s Local History Forum. The Canal & River Trust will also be hosting explorers activities for families, and young people from the local St Philip’s CE Primary School have been working with artists to make decorative items for the event.
Visitors will be able to jump on board rafted canoes for water-based activities and take part in a series of fun ‘lost and found’ themed workshops led by an enormous magpie puppet, The Collector! A live DJ set with mesmerising fire and sound installation will provide for a fabulous sunset finale.
The new festival is being made possible through sponsorship from ourselves and Get Living. Organised in collaboration with the outdoor events production team at Walk the Plank, the event is also supported by Creative Embassies, Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), Salford City Council, Salford Community and Voluntary Services (CVS), Manchester Bolton & Bury Canal Society (MBBCS) and waterways charity Canal & River Trust, which looks after the canal.
The Manchester, Bolton & Bury Canal was made famous in the song ‘Dirty Old Town’, written by Salford born folk singer-songwriter Ewan MacColl and performed by The Dubliners and The Pogues. Hollywood legend James Mason starred in the film ‘Spring and Port Wine’, based on a play by Bolton’s own Bill Naughton, filmed at various locations along the canal.
Nicola Wallis, Group Sales & Marketing Director at Scarborough Group International (SGI), said:
“We are so excited to host our first ever Middlewood Locks Fest next month. Community engagement has always been a high priority at Middlewood Locks and our free community events really help to support inclusivity, bringing people together in celebration.
“Running right through the heart of Middlewood Locks, the Manchester, Bolton & Bury Canal provides important peace and tranquillity for our residents and visitors and of course is a vital green corridor supporting biodiversity. Whilst no longer used for industrial trade, this waterway provides sustainable connectivity and the reopening of parts of the canal, for the first time in 15 years, is certainly worth celebrating.”
Kim Quickfall, General Manager at Get Living, said:
“We are delighted to be supporting the first Middlewood Locks Fest, which will not only celebrate the rich history of the Manchester Bolton & Bury Canal and the wider area but will also bring people together to enjoy local art, crafts, and entertainment. As long-term stakeholders, we are very proud to be a part of the community here at Middlewood Locks as it continues to grow and flourish.”
James Long, engagement manager at charity Canal & River Trust, said:
“Salford is a city shaped by its canals, which offer green corridors in some of our most densely populated communities, offering a place for people to relax, walk, cycle, paddle or simply be inspired.
“We’re delighted to be involved in what promises to be a really positive event for the community, which is free and open to all. The Manchester, Bolton & Bury Canal at Middlewood is a ‘hidden gem’ and with the event and boats returning, it’s wonderful seeing it come to life for everyone to enjoy.”
Paul Hindle, Chair of the Manchester Bolton and Bury Canal Society, said:
“We are delighted to welcome boats back to this section of the canal, and to celebrate the role canals can play in promoting recreation, tourism, environmental improvement and wellbeing in the local and wider community.”
Ben Turner, Salford Producer at Walk the Plank, said:
“It’s great all these different elements are coming together for what’s going to be a fantastic event for all ages as well as being a chance for Walk the Plank to share their experience of delivering events on our doorstep in Salford.”
Further details for Middlewood Fest can be found at Middlewood Locks – (middlewood-locks.co.uk)
Further details for the soundwalk can be found at Hidden Canal | Walk the Plank
Good news is on the horizon for businesses looking to locate within the Forth Green Freeport, as tax relief initiatives have been extended until 2034. This extension, facilitated by an agreement between UK and Scottish ministers, provides a further five years of fiscal support for eligible businesses operating within the Forth Green Freeport.
As a designated tax site within the Forth Green Freeport, our flagship project, Queensferry One in Rosyth stands at the forefront of this initiative, offering eligible businesses access to the following:
The anticipated commencement of the Forth Green Freeport and its associated benefits is slated for late spring 2024, pending approval of the Outline Business Case.
For a deeper understanding of the benefits of Green Freeport Status, download our information sheet here.
To learn more about Queensferry One, including an indicative appraisal of the potential cost savings arising from its Green Freeport status, please visit our project website or get in touch with one of the team.
An exciting collaboration between ourselves, the Dutch Embassy, Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), Salford City Council, Salford Community and Voluntary Services (CVS), Manchester Bolton & Bury Canal Society (MBBCS), Canal & River Trust and private sector stakeholders, Walk the Plank and Get Living, is creating a unique sound walk experience, unravelling the compelling story of Salford’s ‘hidden canal’.
Inspired by the Manchester Bolton & Bury Canal, five Salford and Greater Manchester artists will be paired with European sound artists from Leeuwarden (the Netherlands), Kaunas (Lithuania), Rejika (Croatia) and Faro (Portugal), to create a sound walk along the original canal route, that includes sections that have been long forgotten.
The project started with an initial residency at the end of February building on connections that had been made through the Creative Embassies project www.creativeembassies.com.
Canal & River Trust, the UK’s largest canal charity that looks after Manchester Bolton & Bury Canal, together with Salford based outdoor arts company Walk the Plank and MBBCS, have engaged Scarborough Group International, the custodians of award-winning new neighbourhood, Middlewood Locks and Get Living, the Build to Rent operator, to deliver the fascinating new experience, that will help people to connect with the industrial heritage of this partly restored canal, and to celebrate its future in a unique and interesting way.
From 18th May 2024 local residents and visitors can download the new sound walk experience which will feature eight locations and includes fascinating audio content produced by the artists about the canal’s industrial and forgotten heritage.
The Manchester Bolton and Bury Canal was made famous in the song ‘Dirty Old Town’ written by Salford born folk singer-songwriter Ewan MacColl and performed by The Dubliners and The Pogues. Hollywood legend James Mason starred in the film “Spring and Port Wine” based on a play by Bolton’s own Bill Naughton, filmed at various locations along the canal.
Ben Turner, Salford Producer at Walk the Plank, said:
“We are delighted to announce the sound walk as a totally unique way to experience the fascinating heritage of the Manchester Bolton & Bury Canal. Last week it was a pleasure to welcome four highly acclaimed sound artists from Europe, including the Netherlands – arguably the pioneer of waterways history – to work with our resident artists on the project.
“This has been made possible thanks to funding from the Dutch Embassy, GMCA, and Salford CVS and facilitated through Creative Embassies, a European exchange network fostering collaboration among young artists, musicians, and creatives.”
James Long, Engagement Manager at the Canal & River Trust charity, said:
“Salford is a city shaped by its canals. Over 200 years ago these commercial thoroughfares connected Salford to the wider world, powering the city’s foundries and workshops. Today, these canals have transformed to offer green corridors in some of our most densely populated communities, offering a place for people to relax, walk, cycle, paddle or simply be inspired.
“Our nation’s historic waterways continue to inspire generations of artists, from paintings to poetry and sculpture to soundscapes. As custodians of this important cultural heritage our charity is delighted to support this new commission and hope it will encourage people to come rediscover the Manchester Bolton & Bury Canal for themselves.”
Paul Hindle, Chair of the Manchester Bolton and Bury Canal Society, said:
“When Salford born musician Ewan Maccoll wrote “Dirty Old Town” he included the line “Dream a dream by the old canal”. This event will enable Salford’s hidden gem of a canal to wake from its slumber and be a source of fun, recreation, heritage, and community. Dreams can come true”
Councillor Hannah Robinson-Smith, Executive Support Member for Culture, Communications and Strategic Priorities at Salford City Council, said:
“We are very excited to see this tremendous collaboration between public and private sector organisations, as well as local and international artists, to tell the story of a very important part of Salford’s heritage in such an engaging way. A creative sound walk experience will certainly capture the imagination of our local community and visitors from further afield, helping in our collective efforts to reengage the ‘hidden canal’ in our daily lives.”
Nicola Wallis, Group Sales & Marketing Director at SGI, said:
“It is a real pleasure for us to be a part of and help to host the sound walk at Middlewood Locks. The waterways are central to the core values, and indeed the way of life, at Middlewood Locks and we have long strived to help restore the canal and locks that run through our neighbourhood.
“More than 10 years ago Scarborough Group International committed to transforming a vast expanse of derelict wasteland with a tall ambition to create a £1 billion urban neighbourhood that would seamlessly connect Salford to Manchester City Centre. The waterways are integral to that ambition as we continue to deliver future phases and build on our 2,000 strong community at Middlewood Locks.”
Kim Quickfall, General Manager at Get Living, said:
“This unique initiative brings to life an important part of the history of Middlewood Locks and the wider area, as well as tapping into local creative talent. Get Living has been part of the community at Middlewood Locks since 2019, and our neighbourhood, New Maker Yards, sits right next to the canal itself. We’re therefore very proud to be a part of a project that celebrates the importance and contribution of the waterways over the years.”
Further details for the soundwalk can be found at Hidden Canal | Walk the Plank
Plans to develop a strategic 60-acre site in East Leeds have moved a step closer following its confirmed allocation into the Leeds Site Allocation Plan (SAP) for major employment use.
The site, known locally as Brown Moor, is situated adjacent to our hugely-successful Thorpe Park Leeds business destination and The Springs retail and leisure centre. Bounded by the M1 motorway and TransPennine railway line, the site already benefits from connectivity to key infrastructure such as the East Leeds Orbital Route (ELOR) and established bus routes through Thorpe Park Leeds.
Last year, we tabled proposals to develop the site for a major new employment park, submitting an outline planning application for up to 55,417 sq m (596,500sq ft) of purpose-built accommodation.
‘Integral’, as the proposed development has been named, aims to deliver a range of high-quality buildings suitable for companies of different sizes within the advanced manufacturing, logistics and industrial sectors, with the potential to support around 1,700 new jobs.
In a welcome departure from traditional industrial estates, the scheme will retain the vast majority of the established woodland and hedgerows across the site, while adding to these with new green spaces and landscaping corridors to seamlessly connect into the existing amenities and public rights of way within the adjacent Thorpe Park Leeds, The Springs, and local conurbations to the East and West of the site.
Adam Varley, Development Director at SGI, said:
“We are delighted that Brown Moor has been allocated with the Local Plan following recommendations from the Planning Inspectorate. We see that site as a key strategic site to allow the expansion of Thorpe Park Leeds and our development proposals support the continued growth of the park and future diversifying the mix of employment opportunities generating major economic benefits for the region.
“The logistics sector is one of the fastest growing areas of employment in the UK and our plans and proposals for the scheme will deliver against a tight supply of prime space within West Yorkshire designed to cater for sustainable business practice as well as attracting exceptional talent.”
We have already identified strong interest from potential occupier interest for Integral and hopes to be able to submit a detailed planning application for the first phase of development in the second half of the years upon the determination of the current the outline application.
The proposed development will be accessed from the existing junction from the new Manston Lane Link Road (MLLR) which forms part of the East Leeds Orbital Route (ELOR) which is directly accessed from junction 46 of the M1 motorway.
For more information visit www.integralleeds.co.uk.
We’re thrilled to announce the promotion of Nicola Wallis to our Board of Directors, marking a significant milestone as we continue to expand our residential service offering.
In her newly-elevated position, Nicola will be responsible for providing strategic leadership in respect of our expanding residential development and management portfolio, following the launch of Scarborough Management Services earlier this year. She will continue to lead the residential sales and marketing discipline within the Group, working closely with the development team to deliver award-winning mixed-use neighbourhoods.
Nicola joined the Group in 2014, when she became the first employee in the Manchester office, responsible for launching our residential sales business. Since then, she has played a pivotal role in the success of several residential schemes including the award-winning, mixed-use neighbourhood, Middlewood Locks in Salford, and Hatbox in Manchester.
With over 23 years of experience in the industry, 13 of which were gained at Urban Splash, where she spearheaded the delivery of national residential sales pipelines, Nicola boasts a depth of knowledge and expertise across all aspects of new home sales, including branding, marketing, events, customer care, and developing strong relationships with both private and public sector partners.
Nicola’s passion for placemaking and community building has been a hallmark of her career, as evidenced by her impact at Middlewood Locks. Beyond overseeing the residential sales, marketing and customer care teams, Nicola has immersed herself as an active member of the community, taking the time to understand the unique stories and aspirations of its residents so that they feel part of a nurtured and thriving community.
As a dedicated member of the LandAid Northwest Board, Nicola is also deeply involved in philanthropic efforts to help raise awareness of youth homelessness and housing insecurity.
Commenting on her promotion, Nicola Wallis, said:
“Throughout my career, I have always loved helping people achieve home-ownership and building vibrant communities where our customers can truly thrive. It is therefore extremely humbling and gratifying that the board has recognised my commitment by placing their trust in me to drive the growth of our residential business forward.”
Simon McCabe, Chief Executive of SGI, added:
“Since she joined us in 2014, Nicola has played a key role in propelling the success of our residential sales and marketing efforts, and developing collaborative partnerships with prominent public sector entities such as Salford City Council and Homes England.
“Her leadership and expertise will become increasingly vital over the coming months and years, as we seek to accelerate the growth of our development and management pipeline, so it is with great pride that we announce her promotion to the Board of Directors.”
As part of an exciting development to our growth strategy, we’re proud to announce the launch of Scarborough Management Services.
Reuniting the esteemed legacy and expertise of one of the Group’s former divisions, Teesland with the proven track record of our core development expertise, Scarborough Management Services will see the expansion of our development advisory, project management, asset management, property management, serviced office management and residential management services to property owners and investors looking to maximise value from complex, underperforming or distressed real estate assets.
Having originally acquired Teesland in the early 1990s, the Group became synonymous with high-quality real estate development, investment and management, with a vast number of successful projects across the UK, Europe and the Far East.
At the height of its success in 2002, Teesland became listed on the London Stock Exchange with its operations expanded to such an extent that it ultimately boasted a portfolio of funds under management across Europe with a value in excess of £5bn. More recently however, the Group’s has shifted solely towards delivering its own projects across the UK.
Operating from multiple offices in Edinburgh, Leeds, London, Manchester, Scarborough and Sheffield, our development portfolio encompasses approximately 9.1 million square feet of commercial space and 4,000 residential units, with plans for over 3.9 million square feet of additional commercial space and 1,600 residential units in the long-term pipeline.
Simon McCabe, Chief Executive, commented:
“By amalgamating SGI’s extensive experience and established track record in delivering large-scale regeneration projects with the prestige of Teesland legacy, we’re strategically poised to address the multi-faceted challenges within today’s dynamic real estate landscape.
“With the launch of Scarborough Management Services, where we have established offices in Leeds, Manchester, Sheffield, London and Edinburgh, our goal is to curate a comprehensive suite of Management Services tailored specifically for property owners and investors seeking to unlock the latent value within their property assets.”
For more information on Scarborough Management Services and our comprehensive suite of real estate solutions, please visit the Scarborough Management Services web page.
Alternatively, you can check out Kevin and Simon’s in-depth interview with Sam McClary, Editor of EG, regarding the launch of Scarborough Management Services here.
The consortium behind the Forth Green Freeport, of which we are part, has submitted its Outline Business Case (OBC) to the Scottish and UK Governments following its successful shortlisting earlier this year.
Submission of the OBC is an important step in the process towards securing green freeport status as the team refines its visionary bid for Scotland. At the heart of the Forth Green Freeport’s vision, which will be delivered by the public and private sector consortium, is the re-industrialisation of Scotland, the creation of large-scale economic regeneration, well paid high skilled green jobs and a just transition to net zero that benefits the wider Green Freeport approved area.
The Forth Green Freeport’s economic impact assessment forecasts that this will drive up to £7bn of private and public investment over the next decade, delivering Gross Value Added (GVA) of £8.4bn. The Forth Green Freeport will be the catalyst for creating up to 38,350 jobs, with almost 19,000 of these being direct gross jobs linked to the target sectors. The target sectors of the Forth Green Freeport will require a higher paid, more skilled workforce as well as creating other jobs across the supply chains.
The OBC focuses on three strategically located tax sites and a number of potential customs sites, which span 552 hectares in Grangemouth, Leith, Rosyth, Burntisland and Edinburgh Airport. This is a refinement of the overall area following the inclusion of land owned by the Royal Navy in Rosyth (HMS Caledonia) and the joining of the Burntisland site to the Leith site to create the Mid-Forth tax site.
As a result of the increased economic activity associated with the Forth Green Freeport, the consortium remains committed to ensuring that the communities in and around the tax sites benefit from the inward investment. The governing board and the three local authorities aim to deliver ongoing investment in economic related infrastructure that creates and develops a wider sense of place linked to the Forth Green Freeport.
Significant investment is needed over the next decade to reduce industrial carbon emissions across the country through innovations in cleaner fuels, energy and logistics. The Forth Green Freeport will accelerate Scotland’s green development profile, with a focus on offshore wind (fixed bottom and floating), manufacturing and the production of alternative fuels (biofuels and low carbon hydrogen).
The Forth Green Freeport will drive growth in Leith, Burntisland and Rosyth through the manufacture of the next generation of offshore wind components, including floating offshore wind (FLOW), while stimulating innovative shipbuilding and advanced modular manufacturing and assembly at Babcock’s site in Rosyth. In Grangemouth, investment will support the just transition from the reliance on hydrocarbons to alternative fuels and energy sources. Together, these will have a far-reaching impact for the whole of Scotland and provide opportunities for greater trade across the wider Forth estuary.
Strong governance is a key thread throughout the OBC. A governing board has been established and is active, with an independent Chair, Dame Susan Rice DBE, now appointed. The board has representatives from all consortium partners and includes elected members from all three local authorities and advisers from both the Scottish and UK Governments. There will also be an employee representative on the board.
The consortium has established a strict set of Investor Principles which all landowners and developers will be required to adhere to. This will include abiding by the Fair Work Charter which prioritises the rights, wages and working conditions of employees. The principles also require businesses to abide with Forth Green Freeport’s net zero commitments.
Dame Susan Rice, Chair of Forth Green Freeport, said:
“The OBC submission is a key step in the green freeport process as we undertake our due diligence on the vision that was set out at the bid stage. The team have been working hard over the past few months to refine the contents of the bid to shape how the Forth Green Freeport will be governed, operated and delivered for Scotland. We now await the feedback from both the Scottish and UK Governments before we begin creating the final business case early next year.
“The Forth Green Freeport is a true partnership of private and public sector organisations who share the same vision for the Forth. The delivery of significant investment through the Forth Green Freeport is a key element in reducing emissions across the country through innovations in offshore wind manufacturing, assembly and commissioning, alongside innovative shipbuilding, modular assembly and hydrogen manufacture.”
One of the oven-ready development platforms at the heart of the Forth Green Freeport is Queensferry One, a 120-acre industrial and logistics scheme which is being delivered by Scarborough Muir Group (SMG), a joint venture between ourselves and Inverkeithing-based contractor and developer, Muir Group.
Simon McCabe, Chief Executive at Scarborough Group and spokesperson for SMG, commented:
“The submission of the OBC is a key milestone in realising our shared vision for the Forth Green Freeport, propelling us closer to establishing an ecosystem that fosters sustainable economic growth and innovation across Scotland.
“We’re already in advanced discussions with multiple organisations in the renewable energy, marine, manufacturing and logistics industries who are looking to relocate to the area and this latest development, in conjunction with the Chancellor’s commitment to enter into discussions with the devolved administrations about extending Freeport tax reliefs in Scotland and Wales from five to 10 years, will fortify Queensferry One’s position as one of the most expansive and well-connected, oven-ready employment sites in Central Scotland.”
The OBC document was submitted to the Scottish and UK Governments on Friday 24 November. The OBC will now be reviewed by both Governments before being approved, allowing the Forth Green Freeport to become operational. The consortium will then develop the Final Business Case which develops the detail in the OBC further and secures the seed capital funding linked to the Green Freeport. The FBC will be submitted to the Scottish and UK Governments in Spring 2024.
Reflecting our continued commitment to fostering a culture of accountability and transparency in relation to the technical aspects of development, particularly in light of the introduction of the Building Safety Act, we’re delighted to announce that Howard Cartwright has been promoted to Group Project Director.
The move brings Howard onto the board alongside Chief Executive Officer, Simon McCabe, Group Director, Scott McCabe, Chief Finance and Operating Officer, Jeremy Tutton and Group Development Directors, Mark Jackson and Paul Kelly, under the continued stewardship of Chairman, Kevin McCabe.
Since joining the Group in 2016, Howard has played a pivotal role in overseeing the entire lifecycle of our development projects, with a particular focus on contract and risk management. His most recent achievements include the project management of Phase One, Two and Three of the award-winning, mixed-use neighbourhood, Middlewood Locks in Salford, which comprises 1,306 new apartments and Marina Quay, a 105,000 sq ft retail and leisure park in Rhyl.
In this newly-created board position, Howard will leverage his 35 plus years of technical expertise and keen eye for detail to lead the company’s next phase of development projects, which includes Queensferry One, a 120-acre oven-ready industrial and logistics hub at the heart of the Forth Green Freeport in Rosyth and Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park, a new life sciences park focused on innovation in sport, health and wellbeing.
Simon McCabe, Chief Executive, commented:
“Over the past seven years, Howard has proven to be a trusted and valuable member of the team, and has done a remarkable job of setting rigorous standards throughout the design, construction and maintenance of our all our development projects.
“Howard’s appointment to the board is a strategic move, signalling our steadfast commitment and proactive approach to fostering a culture of accountability and transparency in relation to the technical aspects of development right across the business.”
“On behalf of the Group, we would like to thank Howard for all his efforts over the years and are pleased to formally welcome him as a board director.”
Commenting on his promotion, Howard said:
“I’m incredibly excited to take on this augmented role and the additional challenges and opportunities it will bring.
“The introduction of the Building Safety Act places greater accountability on us as developers to ensure the technical robustness and safety of our projects, from the competency of the design teams and contractors we appoint to the procurement processes used with their supply chain.
“My appointment to the board is a deliberate move towards incorporating technical expertise into the strategic decision-making of the Group and emphasises the critical role this plays in shaping its future direction and success.”
We’re honoured to announce our sponsorship of the 2023 Northern Joe Cup, a prestigious North West squash tournament that takes place at Cheetham Hill and Fairways Lodge Squash Clubs from 20th to 26th November 2023.
Launched in 2021 by North West based Richard Rawcliffe, the Northern Joe Cup is an annual charitable squash tournament and festival held in the memory of Richard’s son, Joe who tragically passed away in 2020, aged 26 following surgery to remove a brain tumour.
Joe’s brother Isaac is a keen squash player and well known in the local squash community and the aim of the tournament is to use sport and charity together to increase awareness of the signs and symptoms of brain tumours, as well as raising funds for the Brain Tumour Charity.
The Northern Joe Cup is a festival of squash that includes local league matches, coaching clinics, exhibition matches and team and individual amateur events for players of all abilities. The event is centred around a Professional Squash Association (PSA) Challenger series tournament that has 48 professional players from around the world competing including a number of local players and number of the top 100 in the world.
In addition, in a collaboration between Manchester City Council and the PSA Foundation, over 200 local school children will be a introduction to the sport during the week as part of community outreach initiatives.
The funds raised during the tournament will directly benefit the Brain Tumour Charity, a leading entity dedicated to advancing research, providing patient support, and fostering hope for those facing the challenges of being diagnosed with a brain tumor.
Richard Rawcliffe, Event Organiser, commented:
“We’re extremely grateful to Scarborough Group for their generous sponsorship of the Northern Joe Cup. Their support is greatly appreciated, enabling us to host an event that will make a real difference and help those in need.
“On behalf of our family and the whole brain tumour community, we’d like to thank all our sponsors for making this event possible and for being an essential part of our mission.”
Scarborough Group is a socially-conscious organisation committed to supporting causes that help improve lives and championing initiatives that promote healthy and sustainable communities.
Through our charitable arm, the Scarborough Group Foundation, we have donated over £2m towards a great number of worthy causes with a targeted focus on providing funding for cancer and medical research, health and wellbeing initiatives.
One of the main beneficiaries of our support over the years is Scarborough Rugby Union Football Club where, with the support of Scarborough Borough Council, the Group has helped to deliver a state-of-the-art Squash and Racquets Academy alongside a new padel tennis facility.
Nicola Wallis, Sales and Marketing Director at SGI, added:
“Our sponsorship of the Northern Joe Cup is perfectly-aligned with our mission to support impactful initiatives in and around the communities in which we operate.
“The devastating impact of brain tumors as the leading cause of cancer-related deaths among children and adults under 40 underscores the urgency and significance of our support and we are truly honoured to play a small part in supporting such a profoundly worthy cause.”
For more information on the Northern Joe Cup, including schedules, participant details and ticketing, please visit www.theclub.fit/home/the-northern-joe-cup/.
A team of 10 enthusiastic volunteers from the design team involved in the redevelopment of the Square One (formerly the Brunswick Centre) took to Scarborough beach on Thursday 16 November 2023, as part of a region-wide initiative to prevent microplastics entering the sea.
The volunteers, led by retail and leisure agent, Savills and supported by ourselves, planning consultant, Zerum, engineering consultant, Buro Happold and cost consultant, Burnley Wilson Fish scoured the coastline to remove any tiny microplastics and tangles of ocean debris, which can have a devastating effect on marine ecosystems.
According to the European Environment Agency, approximately 1.5 million tonnes of microplastics enter the oceans every year, which then accumulate in the bodies of marine and aquatic organisms leading to malnutrition, inflammation, reduced fertility and mortality.
The team collected a large amount of debris from the high tide line, including old fishing line, bottle tops, lollypop sticks, polystyrene and plastic pellets known as nurdles, some of which had been washed up in recent storms and some left by previous visitors to the beach.
Stephen Henderson, Retail & Leisure Director at Savills, commented:
“Plastic pollution is threatening our amazing Yorkshire wildlife so anything we can do to help make a difference, no matter how small, is worth doing.”
We acquired SQ1 in August 2021 and obtained planning consent to repurpose the existing building into a high-quality, multi-screen cinema-led destination in March 2023. We are now in the process of concluding a legal agreement with the chosen cinema operator, as well as negotiating lettings to other occupiers and finalising detailed scheme engineering and design prior to commencing works on site.
Rachel Vickers, Senior Commercial Manager at Scarborough Group International, said:
“At first glance, the beach looked spotlessly clean, it’s only when you delve underneath the seaweed along the high tide line that you realise quite how many microplastics are lurking there.
“On behalf of Scarborough Group and the SQ1 design team, I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Steve for taking the initiative to organise this event to support such an important cause.”
The beach clean, which was hosted by Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, is part of a region-wide initiative to give the Yorkshire coastline a thorough tidy up in order to protect marine life by preventing microplastics entering the sea.
For more information, visit www.ywt.org.uk/our-events/beach-cleans.
Photo caption (L-R): Pete Gleave (Zerum), David Gledhill (Buro Happold), Antony Hall (CJCT), Imogen Buckroyd (Savills), Robert Kettleborough (Buro Happold), Stephen Henderson (Savills), Paul Hesson (Burnley Wilson Fish), Rachel Vickers (Scarborough Group), Nicola Bulley (Scarborough Group), Jon Anderson (Scarborough Group).
A free festive event is taking place in collaboration with John Lewis in November at Middlewood Locks, our award-winning new neighbourhood located between Salford and Manchester City Centre.
The event will demonstrate Christmas styling in the Middlewood Locks show apartment where expert home stylists from John Lewis will talk about the latest trends. Visitors can also take advantage of an exclusive special offer on the night and enjoy 10% off purchases over £500 at John Lewis Home.
Earlier this year, we announced an exciting interior design partnership with John Lewis and Partners at the new Middlewood Locks show apartment. A free home design consultation and exclusive discounts on furnishings is available to buyers at ‘Railings’, the third phase of apartments and townhouses currently under development.
‘Railings’ comprises 189 new homes including seven waterside townhouses, six mews houses alongside a mix of one, two and three-bedroom apartments within two buildings rising 10 and 12 storeys high. With construction well underway, the homes will be available for occupation by Winter 2024/early 2025 with prices starting from £235,000.
Nicola Wallis, Sales and Marketing Director at SGI, said:
“We are so excited to be hosting our very first festive event at Middlewood Locks with John Lewis. The home stylist team will be giving a talk on Christmas trends and decorations and showing us how to set a beautiful table for Christmas dinner. Our fabulous show apartment will be dressed in some of the latest festive decorations and there will be some lovely festive refreshments for our customers to enjoy too.
“Our team will also be on hand to speak to customers regarding home ownership and we can also assist with mortgages and legal advice through our expert panel of mortgage advisors and solicitors.”
Sophie Holt, John Lewis Home Design Stylist said:
“We are thrilled to be hosting this Christmas event at Middlewood Locks. We will be sharing our top tips for dressing the home for the festive season, and talking about our Autumn/Winter trends. We will also be on hand to chat through your design dilemmas, no matter how big or small the project is.”
The free to attend event takes place on Thursday 9 November 2023 between 6pm – 8pm in the Middlewood Locks Marketing Suite. To register interest please email sales@middlewood-locks.co.uk. Places are limited so early booking is advised.
Dame Susan Rice DBE has been appointed as the inaugural independent Chair of Forth Green Freeport to oversee the delivery and governance of the consortium’s ambitious vision to deliver a green growth strategy for Scotland’s industrial corridor.
Dame Susan is a highly respected chartered banker who has had a distinguished career in finance as the former Chair and CEO of Lloyds TSB Scotland, where she was the first female in Europe to lead a clearing bank, and Managing Director of Lloyds Banking Group Scotland. She was also the founding Chair of the Scottish Fiscal Commission and is the former President of the Scottish Council for Development and Industry (now named Prosper).
Dame Susan has extensive experience in corporate governance as a member of boards across a wide range of public and private sector organisations around the UK and internationally. Dame Susan is currently the Chair of Scottish Water where she has governed the Board since 2015 and will step down at the end of this year on completion of her term. Her other recent Board experience includes the Bank of England, Scottish and Southern Energy and J Sainsbury plc.
Dame Susan currently sits on the Board of the Office for Budget Responsibility and chairs the North American Income Trust and the Global Ethical Finance Initiative, which is currently delivering the largest finance-focused campaign for COP28. Dame Susan has received honorary degrees from a number of Scottish universities, including Edinburgh and Aberdeen, and she was awarded a DBE in the 2018 New Year’s Honours List.
Beginning her role as Chair in November, Dame Susan takes over the helm from its interim Chair, the Group Chief Executive of Forth Ports, Charles Hammond OBE.
Commenting on her appointment, Dame Susan Rice DBE, Chair of Forth Green Freeport, said:
“The Forth Green Freeport has a broad and exciting vision for Scotland and I’m pleased to be leading the team in its execution. The creation of major port infrastructure, the development of new green industries and re-industrialisation of our communities is hugely compelling to me.
“I’m honoured to have been appointed as the Chair and I welcome the opportunity to steer this impressive consortium as we create and implement the Forth Green Freeport. As an experienced adviser in delivering long-term economic development projects, I will support the Forth Green Freeport to deliver the community regeneration and many new jobs across Fife, Falkirk, Leith and Central Scotland. I’m delighted to be part of this.”
Welcoming Dame Susan Rice to the Chair role, Charles Hammond OBE, Group Chief Executive of Forth Ports Group and Interim Chair of Forth Green Freeport, said:
“We are extremely privileged to have someone with Dame Susan’s extensive experience and enthusiasm to Chair the ambitious opportunity that the Forth Green Freeport can deliver for Scotland. The decision to appoint Dame Susan was unanimously agreed by all of the consortium partners, both public and private sector, and we warmly welcome her to the Board.
“Dame Susan’s career background is aligned perfectly as the consortium works together to create the driving force to deliver long term benefits for communities through well paid skilled green job creation and to assist in achieving the country’s net zero goals.”
Forth Green Freeport was shortlisted earlier this year with its visionary bid which will re-industrialise the nation and create large scale economic development. The vision will act as a catalyst for new green technologies and renewable energy manufacturing, unlocking multi billion pounds of private and public investment for Scotland, create significant jobs and associated economic value add. The consortium, of which Scarborough Muir Group is part, is currently preparing its Outline Business Case which will be submitted to the Scottish and UK Governments shortly.
Scarborough Muir Group is a joint venture between ourselves and Inverkeithing-based contractor and developer, Muir Group established to deliver our vision for Queensferry One, a 120 acre industrial and logistics scheme situated at the heart of the Forth Green Freeport, adjacent to Junction 1B of the M90 and the Queensferry Crossing.
We’re thrilled to announced that our Manchester office will be relocating to 11 York Street in the heart of Manchester’s central business district from 1 November 2023.
Our Manchester team are moving from their current home at 125 Deansgate to Gilbanks, as part of the Group’s continued growth strategy which will see us accelerate the pace of our development projects across the UK.
Only last month, we announced that we had reached a major milestone at our £1bn Middlewood Locks project in Salford as we celebrated a topping out ceremony at the Railings, where 189 new residential apartments and townhouses are being built and are available for sale.
Set in an ultra-prime location, Gilbanks provides exceptional workspaces meticulously designed to facilitate productivity and help professional communities thrive. As well as contemporary, new workspace with strong ESG credentials, our colleagues will also have access to various event spaces, including a sky suite on the eighth floor for events providing stunning views across the city.
Paul Kelly, Group Development Director at SGI and head of our Manchester office, commented:
“Our office relocation to 11 York Street demonstrates our continued commitment to our people and our business, providing a fantastic environment in which to foster collaboration, innovation and colleague wellbeing.
“This is a really exciting time for our business in Manchester as we look to accelerate the pace of our developments across the North West and Wales, and I look forward to welcoming the team to our new premises from 1 November 2023.”
Kevin McCabe, Chairman of SGI, added:
“I’m delighted with our new Manchester office, which is a fantastic base from which to continue our growth over the coming years.
“While we’re by no means immune to the effects of the ongoing challenging economic conditions, our business is built on strong foundations stretching back over six decades. Not only that, we’re privileged to be spearheading some of the UK’s most transformational and enviable regeneration projects that will stimulate economic growth and help to attract sustainable, long-term investment.”
Our team joins a rapidly-expanding community of professional services businesses already located at 11 York Place, including Rolls Royce, Avison Young and Morgan Sindall.
Alex Duckett, Managing Director of Gilbanks, said:
“Gilbanks is building an exemplary business community at 11 York Street. The office’s environmental credentials, fantastic location in the heart of Manchester and leading-edge technology continue to attract best-in-class companies like SGI. It’s great to welcome one of the most respected names in property development and we look forward to supporting its team.”
A major milestone for one of the largest single regeneration projects in the North-West has been reached this week as dignitaries gathered to mark the occasion.
Our Manchester team hosted a topping out ceremony at Railings, phase three of our £1 billion mixed-use Middlewood Locks, where 189 new residential apartments and townhouses are being built and are available for sale.
Over 50 special guests gathered including Deputy Ceremonial Mayor of Salford and ward councillor for Ordsall, Tanya Burch, and the Chinese Consul General, Rui Tang. Senior representatives from SGI’s joint venture partners Metro, who flew in from Singapore for the event, main contractor BCEGI, Salford City Council, Homes England and the delivery team were also amongst guests.
Identified as a key strategic development opportunity more than twenty years ago, the 25-acre brownfield site where Middlewood Locks now stands has already been transformed into a thriving new mixed-use neighbourhood, directly connecting Salford to Manchester city centre.
It is now home to over 2,000 residents in 1,117 apartments, supported by amenity, and engaging public realm. Seven Bro7hers Beer House, 92 Degrees Coffee Shop and a Co-op convenience store support the growing community within an established oasis of green spaces along the canal.
‘The Railings’ has introduced the option for family living with 189 new homes including seven waterside townhouses, six mews houses alongside a mix of one, two and three-bedroom apartments. With topping out achieved the new homes are expected to be available for occupation towards the end of 2024/early 2025. All of the townhouses have now sold along with a number of the apartments and mews houses. In July this year SGI launched a brand-new show apartment to showcase the quality of the specification with the interior styling and furnishings designed and supplied by John Lewis.
Middlewood Locks is a joint venture being delivered by SGI with Metro Holdings Limited, a Singapore-listed property development and investment group, and Hualing Group, based in Urumqui, Xinjiang, in China.
Kevin McCabe, Chairman at SGI said,
“We are delighted to achieve ‘topping out’ for Railings, the third phase of Middlewood Locks which marks a very important milestone in our ongoing commitment to deliver one of the largest single regeneration projects that the North-West has ever seen.
“Our strong links with the far east, in terms of our joint venture partners and principal contractor, alongside our mutually beneficial collaborations with key stakeholders such as Salford City Council and Homes England, have helped us to make a vision into a successful and economically viable reality and we are thankful to all that have been involved.
“Middlewood Locks is a major undertaking for us and I am pleased to say greatly supports the regional economy with strong job creation and ultimately much needed new homes in the city.”
Mr Yip, Group Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director at Metro Holdings, said,
“It is fantastic to visit Middlewood Locks at such an important milestone in its delivery. As our first venture into UK real estate markets it is most rewarding to witness an already established and thriving community here.
“We are extremely pleased to continue our long-standing partnership with Scarborough Group International as a highly respected developer and trusted partner.”
Mr Yu, Lead Director at BCEGI, said,
“We are very pleased to attend the topping out event for Railings, the third phase of Middlewood Locks, working closely with SGI and our delivery partners.
“We are proud of the work that has been completed to date in creating this thriving new neighbourhood in what is one of the UK’s most prolific regions, and to realise the considerable social and economic values that have been achieved so far.”
Terry Errington, Head of Structured Real Estate Finance at Homes England, said,
“It is rewarding to see how our allocation of funding at Middlewood Locks from the Government’s Levelling Up Home Building Fund is helping to positively impact the local area. This regeneration led project is a fantastic example of how the public and private sector can work together to deliver a truly sustainable new community with a positive impact on the built environment.”
Seven years under development the scheme has already made a considerable economic impact, supporting around 6,000 jobs with the total local economic benefit to the Greater Manchester sub-region for phases one and two at £260 million.
Whilst revitalising the three large basins of the Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal and re-engaging local infrastructure to provide sustainable and safe passage through to Manchester, the award-winning development has become a flagship for the Northern Powerhouse regeneration.
Future plans include the development of the remaining 10-acre plot that connects to Manchester city centre through the arches with outline planning consent already in place to deliver more new homes alongside Grade A office accommodation and a new hotel with further amenity and public realm.
Fife Council has granted detailed planning consent for a new 50,000 sq ft industrial and logistics unit at Queensferry One in Rosyth which will kickstart the development of the wider 120-acre scheme.
Under the Scarborough Muir Group (SMG) brand, a joint venture between ourselves and Inverkeithing-based contractor and developer, Muir Group, we’re planning to speculatively build the unit, known as Q1 50, to address a shortage of new industrial and logistics space across the Central Belt of Scotland.
Designed by Glasgow-based architects, Entasis the scheme can be subdivided into two 25,000 sq ft units, and will be suitable for a range of storage, distribution and manufacturing uses.
Located on a 4.8-acre plot, the new unit will also incorporate high-quality office accommodation, secure external service yards, landscaping and 47 designated spaces for vehicle parking.
Queensferry One is situated at the gateway to Fife, adjacent to Junction 1B of the M90 and Queensferry Crossing, and spans 120-acres of brownfield land.
Tipped to become the largest international industrial and logistics hub in the Central Belt of Scotland, the site also sits within the heart of the newly-established Forth Green Freeport which aims to generate up to 50,000 new green jobs and act as a catalyst for new green technologies and renewable energy manufacturing, making a significant contribution to the re-industrialisation of Scotland.
Eligible businesses relocating to Queensferry One could benefit from a range tax incentives and customs reliefs, including Non-Domestic Rates Relief, Enhanced Capital Allowances, Employer National Insurance Contributions and Enhanced Structures and Buildings Allowances.
William McAlister at SMG said:
“We’re delighted that full planning consent has been granted to develop this important new small-box scheme right in the heart of the Forth Green Freeport.
“Queensferry One is a landmark development not just for Rosyth, but for the entire Central Belt of Scotland. The speculative development of QF1 50 will kickstart the development of the wider site which, in turn will help to address the significant undersupply of good quality industrial and logistics accommodation in the region, while also realising the ambitions of the newly-established Forth Green Freeport by attracting high-value logistics and manufacturing employers and creating sought after new jobs.”
Our aim is to start on site by Q1 2024 with the unit(s) available for occupation by Q4 2024.
Leasing agents Colliers and CBRE are retained to market the scheme. For more information, please visit www.queensferryone.co.uk.
A brand new sports bar offering big screens, pool tables, dart boards and more is set to open at our Station Quarter development in Newport.
‘Kings Sports Bar’ will feature 20 large LED TVs as well as a ‘king’ size projector screen showing all the big sporting matches and seating area for 50+ people, as well as offering customers a range of good value food and drinks, and other entertainment.
Sports enthusiasts will be spoiled for choice among the 12 world championship standard English 8-ball tables, two elite standard American pool tables, elite standard snooker table, four top-of-the-range darts cubicles, custom-made golf connect four, poker tables, quiz machines and jukebox.
Kings Sports Bar will also feature a weekly kids club providing developmental coaching for young children, as well as multiple pool leagues for all ages and abilities.
Owner of the venue, Michael Beckett, who has previous experience of managing another successful sports bar in the city, is currently fitting out the premises, having agreed a 15-year lease.
Commenting on his new venture, Michael said:
“Kings Sports Bar has been in the works for a while now and, after a tough few years with multiple setbacks in getting it up and running, I’m over the moon that we have landed in Station Quarter.
“The confidence that our landlord, Scarborough Development Group, has in our businesses is part of the reason why we have chosen such a big site in an up-and-coming location and we’re confident it’s the perfect spot for us to become the premier sporting venue in Newport.”
Kings Sports Bar compliments Station Quarter’s expanding leisure and entertainment offer, which includes Newport Live gym, J D Wetherspoon, Vibez nightclub and Ladbrokes.
Jack Abou-Jaoude, Senior Development Manager at Scarborough Group, commented:
“We’re delighted to welcome Kings Sports Bar to Station Quarter. It’s been a difficult few years for the retail and leisure industry but we’re starting to see a marked increase in activity, particularly among wet leisure operators, and we’re confident that they’ll quickly become a popular addition to the existing tenant mix.
“With all remaining units now under offer, we’re looking forward to Station Quarter becoming the vibrant retail and leisure destination we always envisaged it would be.”
Kings Sports Bar will launch to the public in the autumn and be open from 10am until 11pm Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, and 10am until 12am (midnight) Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. For more details visit www.facebook.com/kingssportsbar.
We celebrated yet another exciting milestone at Endeavour, Sheffield Digital Campus last week (Wednesday 27 July 2023) when we formally handed over the completed building to our new tenant, BT Group.
On what was a rare sunny summer’s day, we were joined by representatives from the tech and telecommunications firm alongside Mayor of South Yorkshire, Oliver Coppard at the 65,000 sq ft office building to hold the handover ceremony, marking the completion of the building’s structure and preparing it for the next phase of its development.
BT Group will now progress the fit-out and kit-out of the building, which will serve as its new South Yorkshire base, to prepare to welcome staff next year.
Endeavour forms part of BT Group’s Better Workplace Programme, one of the largest workplace improvement and consolidation schemes of its type ever undertaken in the UK.
Sheffield joins other key locations including Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, and Glasgow in undergoing a workplace transformation under the Programme. It also follows the multi-million-pound refurbishments of BT Group’s contact centres across the UK, including its site in nearby Doncaster.
South Yorkshire’s Mayor Oliver Coppard said:
“It’s great to see businesses like BT expanding their base here in South Yorkshire, not only creating a brilliant working environment for their teams but redeveloping a key site in Sheffield City Centre, too.
“The Endeavor building is located within South Yorkshire’s Investment Zone – the first the launch in the UK. It’s a really exciting time for our region as we work to make South Yorkshire the best place to start, scale or relocate businesses, and I’m glad BT are going to remain a part of it.”
Brent Mathews, Property Director at BT Group, said:
“This investment demonstrates BT Group’s continued commitment to Sheffield and Yorkshire, which remains central to our long-term plans.
“Our Better Workplace Programme is about modernising the spaces where our colleagues work and giving them buildings and facilities they can be proud of.
“The handover ceremony is a key landmark in our journey towards opening this state-of-the-art building for our colleagues in the region, and we look forward to opening the doors to them next year.”
BT Group will take up all floors in the seven-storey building, having reached practical completion, and is expected to open its doors to colleagues early next year.
The state-of-the-art Endeavour building is the final phase of the acclaimed Sheffield Digital Campus and will allow colleagues to collaborate and to work more efficiently, helping to boost the service it provides to customers.
Adam Varley, Development Director at Scarborough Group, commented:
“Our decision to proceed with the speculative development of Endeavour in the midst of the pandemic was driven by our confidence that the building would have a meaningful impact on the wider city, stimulating the creation of new jobs and driving economic growth; a decision that was later rewarded having secured BT Group.
“Throughout the construction of the building, we worked collaboratively with BT Group’s Property team to ensure that it fully aligned with their ambitions to create a truly unique and innovative workplace and we’re delighted to officially welcome them to their new home so that they can start their fit-out process.”
Awards season is in full swing and we’re hoping for a triple win this year’s Yorkshire Property Industry Awards, with nominations across three categories.
Hosted by Insider Media, the UK’s most successful regional B2B media company, the annual Yorkshire Property Industry Awards brings together the region’s property community to recognise and celebrate its many achievements.
In recognition of the collaborative approach to securing planning consent for the National Centre for Child Health Technology at Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park, we have been nominated for the “Public-Private Collaboration of the Year” Award alongside Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, Sheffield City Council and Legacy Park Ltd.
The awards shortlist doesn’t stop there, with our team having been nominated for “Sustainable Development of the Year” for No.1 The Square at Thorpe Park Leeds and “Property Deal of the Year” for the letting of the 64,955 sq ft Endeavour office at Sheffield Digital Campus to BT Group.
The Group is no stranger to the Yorkshire Property Industry Awards Hall of Fame, having picked up the coveted “Development of the Year” for Thorpe Park Leeds in 2022 and “Property Deal of the Year” for our 133,117 sq ft letting to Lowell, also at Thorpe Park Leeds in 2021 and we’re hopeful that 2023 will prove to be just as, if not more, successful.
Simon McCabe, Chief Executive, commented:
“To be shortlisted in not just one, but three categories at this year’s Yorkshire Property Industry Awards is a real testament to our success over the past year, firmly cementing our position as one of the UK’s most active, privately-owned, property regeneration and placemaking specialists.
“We are extremely proud of the buildings we deliver and it is great to see this recognised through these award nominations. Well done to our team in playing a huge part in this and we look forward to the awards ceremony later this year.”
The winners will be announced at a black tie dinner on 21 September 2023 at New Dock Hall in Leeds. To view the full awards shortlist, click here.
It was a big night for team Scarborough Group on Thursday 7 July 2023 as we received not one, but two awards at the Insider Media South Yorkshire Property Dinner.
The annual event, held at Sheffield’s City Hall and attended by over 300 members of South Yorkshire’s property community, celebrates the outstanding developments and property deals across the region, as well as the real estate funds and advisers that made them a reality.
Kicking off our award wins for the evening with the Property Deal of the Year accolade was our record-breaking letting of Endeavour at Sheffield Digital Campus. Described by the judges as a “cracking deal”, the 65,000 sq ft lease to BT Group was the largest office deal in Sheffield for over three years and represents a multi-million-pound investment in the city by BT which, in addition to providing a welcome boost to the local economy, sends a strong message to any other businesses looking to locate in Sheffield that the city has strong credentials as a place to invest, recruit and grow.
Our second award was for Outstanding Development of the Year in recognition of our work to deliver the Community Stadium at Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park, which provides a range of flexible, high-quality office, retail and hospitality space for start-ups and SMEs in the sports, health and wellbeing sectors, in addition to a professional-quality, floodlit 3G pitch and covered Grandstand with capacity to seat 758 supporters. Commenting on Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park as a whole, the judges proclaimed it a “great success story”.
Nicola Bulley, Group Head of Marketing & Communications, commented:
“To say we’re honoured to receive the recognition from our peers for the contribution we have made and continue to make to the city of Sheffield, would be an understatement!
“These awards recognise the hard work and commitment of our extended teams who continue to go above and beyond so it goes without saying how grateful we are to each and every one of them. We’d also like to congratulate all the finalists and everyone else that collected an award on the night.”
‘Railings’, the next phase of new homes at our Middlewood Locks development in Salford, will be released for sale on 1 July 2023 with the launch of a brand-new show apartment.
The first public release of apartments, mews houses and townhouses will be available to buy at the award winning, 25-acre neighbourhood this weekend. This is the first-time townhouses have been available for sale at Middlewood Locks, supporting the growing demand for family living in the city and expanding lifestyle choices for residents.
Railings comprises 189 new homes to include seven waterside townhouses, six mews houses alongside a mix of one, two and three-bedroom apartments within two buildings rising 10 and 12 storeys high. With construction well underway, the homes will be available for occupation by Winter 2024/early 2025 with prices for one beds starting from £225,000.
Most of the homes offer private outdoor space by way of a balcony, terrace or garden and a generous communal podium garden is available for the benefit of all residents. Undercroft secure residents parking (cost option), bicycle stores, double height resident’s atrium, post room, solar panels and electric car charging points also feature as part of Railings. Ground floor space is allocated for future leisure and retail use, providing doorstep amenity for the community.
Saturday 1 July 2023 sees the grand opening of a newly fitted two-bedroom show apartment that demonstrates the specification and quality of the homes in Railings. Open plan, spacious, light flooded rooms with views of the impressive Manchester city centre skyline and the waterside and green spaces are just some of the features that existing occupiers appreciate.
Unique to the new launch is an exciting collaboration with John Lewis & Partners – a brand synonymous with providing stylish home furnishings with a great range of products – which has fitted out the show apartment with the latest must have trends. Buyers reserving their new home this weekend will benefit from a £1,000 John Lewis gift voucher courtesy of ourselves on completion of their home. A FREE Home Design Appointment with an expert home stylist and hamper courtesy of John Lewis will also be available on moving in. John Lewis will also be co-hosting a series of events at Middlewood Locks later this year, advising occupiers on home trends and interior styling.
Nicola Wallis, Sales & Marketing Director at Middlewood Locks, said:
“We are super excited to be launching sales for Railings – our third phase of new homes at Middlewood Locks which has been a tremendous success to date. We are very proud to have created a new neighbourhood with such a diverse and vibrant community.
“Our mission has always been about making city living a long-term commitment, providing opportunities for first time buyers, second steppers, downsizers, families and even remote working where Manchester and Salford are much more affordable options to London.
“By creating an oasis with plenty of green space and waterside public realm, sustainable transport, and mixed housing tenures, we are providing the best of all worlds for our community.”
Over the past several months, we’ve been working with sustainable design agency, Brytr to revamp our corporate website, and we’re delighted to finally share it with you.
The new site features an easy-to-navigate design and improved functionality which highlights our rich history and heritage, and showcases its extensive development portfolio.
Its content amplifies our philosophy of creating inspiring spaces for people to live, work and enjoy, and brings to life the impact of our Responsible Business commitment.
Our traditional navy blue colour palette has been augmented with vibrant greens and soft greys, while the conventional Sofia Pro font has been replaced with a modern twist on an old classic, Oswald to provide a fresh and contemporary feel.
Nicola Bulley, Group Head of Marketing and Communications at SGI, commented:
“SGI has evolved considerably in recent years and we felt that our corporate website no longer truly represented who we are, so we teamed up with Brytr to create an impactful and easy to navigate site, which elevates our breadth and depth of expertise across a wide-range of asset classes and geographies, and allows our visitors to have an engaging and informative experience.
“The Brytr team has done a fantastic job in interpreting our brief and we’re confident that our new site will grow and scale with us in the years ahead.”
Work to deliver Sheffield’s most sustainable speculative office building has reached practical completion.
Endeavour at Sheffield Digital Campus is the city’s largest and most sustainable speculative office building to complete this year, comprising 65,000 sq ft of Grade A workspace.
Endeavour has been designed to create to a dramatic landmark within the city centre, featuring an impressive glazed façade, double-height reception, seven highly-efficient and flexible floorplates, ground floor amenity space and a rooftop terrace providing panoramic skyline views.
Endeavour also addresses some of the key challenges faced by occupiers in relation to their ESG commitments, by reducing carbon emissions, maximising operational efficiencies and creating an exemplary workspace aligned to the highest health and wellbeing standards in UK real estate, including EPC ‘A’ and BREEAM ‘Excellent’. Features include an all-electric energy system, LED lighting, floor to ceiling glazing flooding the floorplates with natural daylight, increased ventilation filtration, 7:10 EV car parking ratio, 78 cycle spaces, along with dedicated club-class style changing and shower facilities.
Endeavour marks the fourth and final phase of the masterplan for Sheffield Digital Campus which, over the past 15 years, has significantly helped to regenerate a key area of the city by creating almost a quarter of a million sq ft of grade A workspace supporting up to 2,500 skilled jobs.
It has also helped to create a strategic link between the city’s existing business district and the transport interchange.
Adam Varley, Development Director at SGI, commented:
“Practical completion at Endeavour marks the final chapter in our 15-year journey at Sheffield Digital Campus and is an achievement that everyone involved can be extremely proud of.
“Building on what is a very tight site in the city centre, the construction process has not been without its challenges, especially given the impact that both COVID-19 and the war in Ukraine has had on the construction of the building but, I am delighted to say that everyone’s collective efforts have resulted in the delivery of Sheffield’s greenest and most significant new build Grade A office building for several years.”
Endeavour was delivered by principal contractor, GMI Construction Group Plc with support from CJCT as architect, Arup as engineering consultant, Burnley Wilson Fish as cost consultant and Zerum as planning consultant.
Andrew Hurcomb, Divisional Managing Director, Yorkshire at GMI Construction Group, said:
“Endeavour highlights the benefits of a collaborative approach between developer, architect, contractor and supply chain to deliver a contemporary and highly sustainable building, which minimises its impact on the environment. We have employed modern methods of construction and materials, such as carbon neutral aluminium, which led to a significant cut in carbon emissions from the construction of the building envelope.
“This is the culmination of a significant project that has been a cornerstone of our ongoing, successful relationship with SGI, which has seen the delivery of some important Yorkshire schemes, here in Sheffield and across the region. There is synergy in our values to deliver buildings of the highest standard that meet both current and future requirements, which is clear to see at Sheffield Digital Campus.”
Global technology firm, BT Group PLC will take occupation of the building later this year following completion of its internal fit out, having agreed a 15-year lease towards the end of 2022.
The building was funded via a joint venture agreement between SGI and Metro Holdings of Singapore, supported by a £4m mezzanine loan from the SCR Jessica Fund alongside a £10 million Senior Loan from The South Yorkshire Pension Fund, both of which are managed by CBRE Capital Advisors.
As a business, we have invested heavily across the Sheffield City Region in recent years, delivering in excess of £100m of Real Estate assets, including Sheffield Digital Campus.
We’re now poised to deliver the most ambitious project in the city to date by bringing to life a masterplan to create up to 1m sq ft of commercial space at Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park, cementing its reputation as the North’s leading life sciences innovation ecosystem focused exclusively on the sport, health and wellbeing sectors. The Park’s new Steel City Stadium featuring state-of-the-art serviced offices, are now fully operational and we intend to submit its plans for the next phase of development in the months ahead.
We’re delighted to announce the launch of our new ambassador programme that will support a vision to improve whole-population health outcomes through preventative intervention, active lifestyles, and opportunities to thrive.
The aim of the Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park Ambassador Programme is to raise the profile of the Park by showcasing its unique vision, culture, heritage and diversity.
The Ambassadors that have been selected are passionate about helping to deliver this vision and have been identified because they embody one of the four key pillars that the Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park is built upon, namely;
The inaugural cohort includes: British ice dancer and Olympic gold medallist, Christopher Dean; retired Consultant Clinical Oncologist, Dr Kash Purohit; local real estate mogul, Tan Khan; NHS Clinical Entrepreneur, CEO and Founder of Enrich My Care, Saran Muthiah and Sheffield-born and bred singer, actress, academic, Joanne ‘Pug’ Horton.
The Ambassadors have been equipped with the knowledge and skills to fulfil their role, either as part of their existing activities or through opportunities identified by the Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park team, including speaking engagements, networking opportunities, and thought leadership.
The Programme was officially launched on Tuesday 21 June 2023 with the screening of an inspiring short film that has been produced to showcase everything the Park has to offer, from its world-class educational and research institutions, and major sporting facilities, to its green, open public realm and high-quality spaces.
Stephen Marriott, Director of Operations at SGI, commented:
“Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park has an amazing story to tell and we now have on-board a group of incredibly-well respected and admired individuals who can use their influence across their respective networks to help promote the Park as a great place to visit, work, invest and learn.”
Christopher Dean OBE, added:
“Through my role as resident coach at iceSheffield I have seen first-hand the facilities that Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park has to offer and the impact they have on people’s lives; whether it is helping them to live a more active lifestyle or aiding their journey to elite sport.
“Being an ambassador for Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park creates the opportunity to speak to my networks about the vast potential of this place.”
A once thriving industrial area at the heart of the City’s world-famous steel industry, Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park is the only Olympic Legacy Park outside a host city anywhere in the world.
A strong public-private sector partnership has delivered the first £100m development phase at the Park which has created a diverse and active life sciences park focused upon health, wellbeing, sports and activity.
We will shortly submit a planning application for its Masterplan for the next phase of the Park, which will see approximately 1m sq ft of commercial space delivered across an 80-acre zone around the existing facilities.
For more information, visit www.sheffieldolympiclegaypark.co.uk.
Image caption L-R: Stephen Marriott (Scarborough Group International); Tan Khan; Rachel Vickers (Scarborough Group International); Joanne Horton; Kash Purohit; Saran Muthiah
We’re delighted to announce an exciting collaboration with John Lewis & Partners at our award-winning Middlewood Locks development between Salford and Manchester City Centre.
The collaboration will see Home Design Stylists from John Lewis & Partners design the interiors of the forthcoming new show apartment for the third phase of apartments and townhouses at Middlewood Locks.
‘The Railings’ is currently under construction with anticipated completion in Winter 2024 and we will release homes for sale in July this year. It provides 189 new homes to include a collection of three and four-bedroom, three storey waterside townhouses, as well as a mix of one to three-bedroom apartments in two buildings of 10 and 12 storeys, on the opposite side of the canal to phases one and two. Both phases are now fully sold and occupied with a thriving community of over 2,000 residents and Seven Bro7hers Beerhouse and 92 Degrees Coffee Shop are a firm favourite with the community.
Buyers will also be able to benefit from a free home design service from expert stylists at John Lewis if they are looking for design inspiration, whether it’s for one room or the whole apartment. John Lewis will also be co-hosting a series of events at Middlewood Locks, advising occupiers on home trends and interior styling.
Nicola Wallis, Residential and Marketing Director at SGI, said:
“We are so excited to announce this collaboration with John Lewis, a brand synonymous with staying ahead of the curve with stylish home interiors of exceptional and affordable quality.
“The home is a personal sanctuary that reflects individual taste; however we find that many of our customers like to feel inspired by our show apartment and like to know where they can source furnishings that will work well within the layout of their chosen home.
“With our own experienced team, we will be working with John Lewis stylists to help customers with their home furnishings. We also offer free mortgage workshops with independent financial advisors and recommend a panel of solicitors to handle legals as part of our in-house customer service, making the whole process of buying a new home easy and enjoyable for our customers.”
Sophie Holt, Home Design Stylist at John Lewis & Partners Cheadle, said:
“We are thrilled to be working with SGI to create a warm and engaging design for the latest phase of the Middlewood Locks neighbourhood. To mirror the tranquil surroundings of the show home, we have combined a vibrant, playful palette with some of our fabulous statement products to create the perfect contemporary retreat within the city. We hope that the design inspires residents to create a unique space that reflects their personality and feels joyful to live within.”
Located on a 25-acre brownfield site, multi award-winning Middlewood Locks is a £1 billion development situated around the three large basins of the Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal. It is a joint venture being delivered by SGI, Metro Holdings Limited, a Singapore-listed property development and investment group, and Hualing Group, based in Urumqui, Xinjiang, in China.
Middlewood Locks is already a thriving new neighbourhood with over 2,000 people living in 1117 apartments, supported by new amenity, and engaging public realm. Seven years under development the scheme has already made a considerable economic impact, supporting around 6,000 jobs with the total local economic benefit to the Greater Manchester sub-region for phases one and two at £260 million.
Future plans include the development of the remaining 10-acre plot that connects to Manchester city centre through the arches with outline planning consent already in place to deliver more new homes alongside Grade A office accommodation and a new hotel with further amenity and public realm.
Scarborough Rugby Union Football Club (SRUFC) served up an ace when it celebrated the official opening of the Yorkshire Coast’s first community Padel Tennis facility at its Squash and Rackets Academy on Thursday 18 May 2023.
After a soft launch for members following the completion of the facility in late February 2023, more than 100 Padel enthusiasts attended the grand opening, including SRUFC representatives, Padel players and coaches, sponsors, councillors and politicians, as well as members of the public.
Representing the principal sponsors, Scarborough Group International and Broadlands Properties, Sandra McCabe and Faith Guthrie declared the two state-of-the-art courts officially open in a ribbon cutting ceremony.
The ceremony was preceded by speeches from SRUFC President, Mr Tim Elliott and our Chairman Kevin McCabe, who said he was ‘extremely proud to have been instrumental in bringing the first Padel Tennis courts to the Yorkshire Coast’.
As part of the celebrations, professional Padel player and coach, Javi Serrats and his colleague Alberto Crespo, played a doubles exhibition match against the recent World, British and Commonwealth Games Squash champion, Nick Matthew and other local players. Members of the community were also invited to ‘have a hit’ against the professionals to experience the new facility first-hand.
Padel was invented in Mexico in the 1960’s and is recognised as the fastest growing sport across Europe, with over 20 million players worldwide.
A hybrid of tennis and squash, the game is played in doubles on an enclosed court that is roughly a third of the size of a tennis court using tennis-like rackets. Scoring is the same as tennis but players are able to play the ball off the walls making it much faster paced, like squash.
Graeme Young, CEO at Scarborough RUFC, said:
“The idea of providing Padel courts at Scarborough Squash and Rackets Academy stemmed from several conversations with Kevin McCabe, who is somewhat of an advocate for the sport. We’re incredibly grateful to him for his steely determination, as we are for the generosity of all of our sponsors for helping to make this a reality.
“The opening celebration was one of a number of activities we have planned for the coming months and we were delighted to welcome so many people to the Academy to enable them to experience our fantastic new facility first-hand.”
Kevin McCabe, Chairman of Scarborough Group International, said:
“As a keen Padel enthusiast, I’m extremely proud to have played a role in helping to bring the first community padel tennis courts to the Yorkshire Coast.
“As well as enhancing the range of sporting facilities across the region and the associated health and wellbeing benefits that brings, we’re hopeful that our sponsorship will, in some small part, help to produce a host of future Padel tennis stars right here in Scarborough.
“Corporately, we’re looking to introduce Padel Tennis courts across all of our mixed-use projects to help extend the reach of this fantastic sport into much wider communities while supporting the active wellbeing of our occupiers and residents.”
Richard Guthrie, Director of Broadlands Properties, commented:
“Padel is an exciting sport that is accessible for all ages and abilities, and we firmly believe there will be a growing appetite for it from both Scarborough residents and visitors alike.”
Anyone wishing to book a Padel court at the Scarborough Squash and Racquets Academy can do so by contacting Barons Fitness.
Our apprentice Project Manager, Jake Hall, has been shortlisted for the prestigious ‘Top Apprentice of the Year’ award at the 2023 UK Real Estate Investment & Infrastructure Forum’s (UKREiiF) Festival of Achievement.
By studying an apprenticeship, Jake has been able to gain invaluable knowledge from the lecturers on his course, as well as apply them in the workplace.
Jake said:
“I believed that it would give me the best of both worlds in terms of learning on the job and studying for a degree at the same time. The University of Salford is always supporting their students and ensuring that they have all the resources necessary to succeed.”
Howard Cartwright, Principal Project Director at Scarborough Group, commented on Jakes outstanding commitment saying:
“Over the last two and a half years, Jake has demonstrated significant skills and behaviour that has influenced and benefitted his own work incrementally, which has seen him go from strength to strength, more so over the last year. Jake has ensured that he is always there to help anyone in the company and is always enthusiastic towards any job asked of him.
“He is beginning to gain a real understanding of the development process and how we as a business undertake our activities. The next step for Jake is to take ownership of some more detailed schemes that are due to commence in the coming months as this will set him in good stead and allow his progression to continue at a good speed.
After completing his degree, Jake wants to remain at Scarborough Group, as well as run his own projects successfully alongside employment.
Jake added:
“They have invested in me, and I want to return the faith put into me over my apprenticeship time.”
[SOn Thursday 9 March 2023, members of Scarborough Borough Council’s Planning and Development Committee voted unanimously in favour of granting planning permission for our multi-million pound redevelopment of the Square One (formerly the Brunswick shopping centre).
Our plans will see it transformed into a vibrant, leisure-led destination anchored by a multi-screen cinema.
Our proposals also include an array of daytime and evening facilities, including new food and drink outlets, and ancillary retail units, all delivered within the existing building envelope.
We purchased the 1990’s-built shopping centre in September 2021 and have been working closely with Scarborough Borough Council to help meet its strategic objective of Scarborough becoming the best performing coastal town centre in England by 2025 and the primary economic hub for retail, leisure, learning and living within the Yorkshire coast area.
Approximately 300 jobs will be created once the site is operational and further employment opportunities will be created during the construction stage.
The scheme will be funded by a mix of private and public sector investment.
“We are delighted to have secured the Committee’s approval for this strategically important scheme, which very much supports the Council’s priorities set out within its Town Investment Plan.
“In addition to providing a vibrant leisure and entertainment offering for the local community and tourists alike, it is hoped that our redevelopment of SQ1 will act as a springboard for wider investment and economic growth in Scarborough town centre.
“We will continue to work closely with the Council, and the new North Yorkshire Council, to ensure that the pace of delivery is sustained, with a view to announcing our preferred cinema operator in the coming months.”
“It has long-been an ambition of the Council to bring a cinema to the centre of Scarborough.
“I am delighted that the Planning and Development Committee has voted in favour of granting planning permission for the redevelopment of [SQ1] – including a new cinema. It means the centre will take on a new role at the heart of Scarborough town, bolstering the evening economy and creating new jobs.
“This was a great result for the final Planning and Development Committee of Scarborough Borough Council.”
Works are due to start on site in 2025 and it is hoped the new centre will be open by 2027.
The planning application was led by planning consultant, Zerum with support from architect, Carey Jones Chapman Tolcher and engineer, Buro Happold.
The Springs retail and leisure centre at Thorpe Park Leeds has reported a significant boost in footfall and trading for its occupiers, attributing the opening of the much-anticipated new East Leeds Orbital Route (ELOR) as a major influence.
The ELOR is a key part of the East Leeds Extension to create strategic growth for the city and includes major infrastructure and plans for significant new housing.
December trading figures for most stores at The Springs showed a marked increase year on year since the park first opened five years ago. However, trade increased significantly in December 2022 compared with the previous year, in some cases by more than 50%.
Since the official opening of ELOR on 22 August 2022, access to The Springs has become even easier for the local community as well as people further afield that don’t benefit from a retail and leisure offering of this scale. While the new road has created increased awareness for passing traffic, the Route has also opened a more sustainable passage for walkers and cyclists.
“We are delighted to report strong trading performance at The Springs. We already have a strong onsite business community of around 5,500 people as well as the local East Leeds community, but there is no doubt that the new ELOR has opened up the The Springs to a wider catchment.
“When we started phase two at Thorpe Park Leeds, a significant part of our commitment was to improve infrastructure through delivering the Manston Lane Link Road (MLLR), a new railway bridge and considerable public realm as the enabling works for ELOR. Our commitment continues as we look to progress construction of state-of-the-art business accommodation, a dedicated railway station, an adjacent industrial and logistics park, and even more green spaces. Over the next five years we anticipate that the onsite community will at least double.
“The data also suggests that retail is not dead, it is merely evolving. While online shopping continues to surge, a day out looking for inspiration and personal interaction is still an attractive proposition for consumers, particularly post-pandemic. Our growing leisure amenity and wide-open spaces with ample free parking are also a big draw.”
With footfall on the increase and further development of commercial and residential schemes in the pipeline, The Springs continues to attract strong performing brands with a healthy mix of chain operators and independent businesses. Expanding café and bar group, Loungers was the latest to announce plans to open on site.
The Springs’ unique location, in the heart of an already well-established business park gives an added edge over other out-of-town destinations and is one of the reasons why occupiers have been keen to use it as a test bed for new concepts. ODEON chose The Springs for its first purpose-built Luxe cinema in the UK and Vitruvian private dental practice launched its national training facility on site. Australian brand Elan Laser Clinics made its first UK debut at The Springs and The Range opened its first new concept store.
Newport Live is set to open an interim wellbeing and physical activity centre at our Station Quarter development in Newport city centre.
The not-for-profit charitable trust, which provides sporting, leisure and cultural activities in Newport, has signed a new lease for the 15,000 sq ft former Gym Group unit on Cambrian Road, following its announcement of the closure of Newport Centre at the end of March 2023.
The new venue ensures that Newport Live can continue to inspire people to be happier and healthier in the city centre, while a brand-new leisure facility is developed by Newport City Council.
The centre will open 1 April 2023 to welcome current and new members to this exciting venue. The centre will have a wide variety of new and familiar cardiovascular and functional training equipment. Along with a bespoke free weights area, a group exercise area for high and low-intensity classes and Indoor Group Cycling.
“While we are excited to be part of the planning for a new modern venue on the riverfront, we’re pleased to have the opportunity to continue to deliver our hugely important physical and wellbeing activities and sports services in the city, once Newport Centre closes. The interim wellbeing and physical activity centre at Station Quarter will see our gym provision increase threefold from the size of Newport Centre’s gym space with a wide range of new fitness equipment allowing us to provide more fitness opportunities for local people and to support the physical and mental wellbeing of our communities.”
“I’m delighted that Newport Live has secured an alternative location in the heart of the city centre to provide additional facilities until the new and modern state-of-the-art leisure centre opens.
“It means Newport Live will be able to offer current and new members a wide range of activities in their venues across the city while still providing vital support for people with chronic conditions.
“The health and well-being of all our residents is extremely important and that is why the development of the new leisure centre remains a priority for the city council.”
Completed in 2015, Station Quarter is a vibrant, mixed-use development featuring 60,000 sq ft of retail and leisure space alongside a high-quality public plaza, and 80,000 sq ft of office space.
“Station Quarter is a highly-prominent, gateway site in an area of the city which has witnessed significant redevelopment in recent years.
“Since completing the first phase in 2015, we have worked hard to align occupiers to the needs of the local community and the arrival such a popular health and wellbeing brand like Newport Live is testament to this. We’re hopeful that the first of a series of new occupiers that we’re able to introduce to Station Quarter this year, as we bounce back from the challenges caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.”
