2. Gateway Plaza

New, high quality business and residential space to meet the standards of prospective home owners and private and public sector clients will transform Barnsley town centre over the next few years. Gateway Plaza will serve as a catalyst for the 'Remaking Barnsley' strategy, being the first contemporary, as well as one of the region's largest, mixed use schemes.

The £15 million office element of development will comprise upto 120,000 sq. ft. of contemporary office accommodation and provide in excess of 500 secure, underground car parking spaces. This element of the scheme will be supported with European Objective One funds. This has enabled developers, Quest Property to invest in Grade A high quality space. This will bring prime office space with full IT network capabilities, high speed internet access, flexible open plan space and other features associated with the most modern sites in big cities.

Guy Gilfillan, Director of Lambert Smith Hampton and Andrew Corbett, Senior Partner of Barnsley based Smith’s Chartered Surveyors have been appointed as agents on the scheme and will combine their wealth of knowledge and experience to ensure Gateway Plaza is kept at the forefront for all prospective business location moves over the next few years.

Andrew Corbett comments: “This is a major landmark scheme which will provide a focal point for the regeneration of Barnsley town centre. I have no doubt the office accommodation will push Barnsley to the fore as a strategic office location.”

“Gateway Plaza will be built to a high specification with air conditioning, raised flooring and cutting edge design throughout. It has been designed to cater for both public and private sector occupiers and I am confident there will be a high level of interest, from both public and private enterprises, in the scheme”, concludes Guy Gilfillan.

The residential phase comprises 188 luxury one, two and three bedroom apartments with 7,200 sq. ft. of retail and café space.

If the interest in the residential aspect of the scheme is anything to go by, the agents will be quite busy in the months ahead. The residential launch got off to a flying start earlier this year, with the first phase of the apartments selling out immediately.

Plans are further afoot for hotel and leisure facilities. The hotel is expected to be in the region of four storey's high, offering upto 100 bedrooms.

Work started on Phase One of the £50 million scheme at the start of September 2005 with Environ earth works environmental company moving in to prepare the 2.2 acre site of the former Barnsley Canister company.