British Land has appointed Hopkins Architects to design the first phase of a 60-acre mixed-use development adjoining its 1.5m sq ft Meadowhall shopping centre in Sheffield.
Hopkins beat shortlisted rivals Hamiltons, Carey Jones and Make.
For the first phase, BL is proposing a primarily office-based scheme, thought to be circa 90,000 sq ft.
In further phases, it plans to introduce up to 1,300 houses, which it will develop.
A meeting with Sheffield council at the end of the month will consider BL’s initial proposals, with BL expected to submit plans by the beginning of 2008.
BL owns 190 acres of land in the Lower Don Valley in total, including its 1.5m sq ft Meadowhall shopping centre and 60 acres of undeveloped land.
The remainder of the land belongs to Sheffield council and a series of private ownerships.
Toronto-based regeneration specialist Urban Strategies completed a review of the site in 2005 for British Land and Sheffield council, and drew up a masterplan for the 1,000-acre Lower Don Valley region.
Sheffield council has begun work on site for 500 homes in the Darnall area of the valley, as laid out in the masterplan, with 1,000 to be built in total over the next 10 years.
John Keyworth, acting Lower Don Valley team leader at Sheffield Council, said the homes being built on council land were being built into existing infrastructure, whereas any residential development by British Land would require the development of a new community.
BL played down speculation that it was in talks with banking giant HSBC to occupy the office scheme.
A British Land spokeswoman said: “It is very much work in progress, and at this stage it is too early to speculate on potential customers or size and scope of the potential development.”
Stephen Hester, chief executive of BL, is to announce a decision this autumn on whether the developer plans to sell up to 75% of its stake in the 1.5m sq ft Meadowhall, valued at £1.65bn.
BL’s retail portfolio is valued at around £10bn, with Meadowhall as the largest single retail asset.
The shopping centre first opened in September 1990 and annual net rental income is more than £75m pa.
BL bought Meadowhall from Paul Sykes and Eddie Healey for £1bn in 1999.
Jones Lang LaSalle, Colliers CRE and Smith Young are advising British Land.
helen.roxburgh@egi.co.uk
