The pioneering 3 St Paul’s Place in Sheffield will now boast some of fastest internet access in Yorkshire, following a 10-year deal with Idaq Networks.
The deal enables Sheffield-based Idaq to house its network equipment on the roof of the 10-storey building in the heart of the city.
This will provide the occupiers of this state-of-the-art, 78,000 sq ft building with superfast broadband.
Jonathan Gale, of Manchester-based developers CTP, commented: “This is tremendous news. Idaq Networks are one of the most respected hi-tech companies in the region and this ground-breaking service for our occupiers at 3 St Paul’s Place will be of immense benefit.
“High speed Wi-Fi internet access is absolutely crucial for businesses in this highly-competitive commercial world and now our occupiers will be safe in the knowledge that they have the best broadband possible, thanks to the most modern equipment on their roof.
“These occupiers, who include some of Sheffield’s leading firms such as Arup, Freeths, BDP and Handelsbanken, need the very best internet access and we are exceptionally pleased to provide this for them,” said Mr Gale.
Idaq have also just signed agreed a ten-year deal with Sheffield City Council to provide free of charge high-speed Wi-Fi internet access in the outdoor areas and public buildings of the city centre. The service, which will be known as Sheffield Free Wi-Fi, will help the city council meet its ambition to be one of the best connected cities in the country.
Mike Hague of Idaq commented: “3 St Paul’s Place is an exciting new addition to our portfolio of cell locations in the area and it’s integral to our network expansion planned for Sheffield city centre. It’s great that we’re able to work in partnership with CTP to provide the best connectivity options available to their clients.
“We anticipate that the immediate availability of speeds up to 5Gbps to both existing and prospective tenants, will add even more attraction to a site that has so much to offer.
“Our presence on site also enables us to offer tenants a number of other potential benefits that further enhance the desirability of the location. Owning our own Data Centre and having multiple links to other cities means that we can also connect any company moving into the building to other sites they may have around the country. It also allows us to provide services such as Private Cloud, Disaster Recovery and Voice Over IP solutions, to name but a few.
“We’ve already had conversations with a couple of prospective new tenants and there has been a tremendous amount of interest in what we can offer.
“Sheffield city centre is on the verge of becoming one of the most advanced in the country in terms of connectivity. There are exciting times ahead for both Idaq Networks and CTP and we’re looking forward to a long-term partnership that offers both organizations some really exceptional benefits,” said Mr Hague.
3 St Paul’s Place, developed by CTP and U+I and built by Bowmer & Kirkland, is the final part of the pioneering £130m Heart of the City project. It is the first speculative office building in Sheffield to be developed since the recession. There is currently over 40,000 sq ft of Grade A office space to rent, with office sizes dependent on occupiers’ needs.
Mr Gale explained: “Our decision to develop a speculative Grade A office building in Sheffield in the midst of the recession has been vindicated and we are very proud of the quality of the office space we have created and the occupiers we have attracted.
“There is now strong interest in the remainder of the building, which boasts beautiful views over the Peace Gardens and Millennium Square, and we look forward to announcing more new tenants shortly.
“These are exciting times for St Paul’s Place, which is now an established high-quality, low-occupation cost office location in the heart of Sheffield. Apart from the new high-speed broadband, 3 St Paul’s Place is the greenest, most energy-efficient and most modern office building in the city, with a BREEAM excellent rating, and it marks the revival of confidence in Sheffield city centre,” said Mr Gale.
The construction of 3 St Paul’s Place went ahead following a landmark agreement between CTP and U+I the specialist regeneration developer and investor with Sheffield City Council and the Department for Communities and Local Government.
CTP and U+I are being supported by Sheffield City Council, regeneration agency Creative Sheffield; Sheffield City Region JESSICA Fund, which was set up to support infrastructure and real estate investment opportunities across the region, and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), managed by the Department for Communities and Local Government.
St Paul’s Place is a high-quality mixed-use scheme which features the 161-bed St Paul’s Mercure 4* hotel; No1 and No 2 office developments occupied by lawyers DLA Piper, RBS, Barclays, accountants PwC, Coutts and the Department of Children, Schools and Families; a 330-apartment residential tower block; the famous “Cheesegrater” car park, operated by Q-Park; a casino; and restaurants and cafes including Pizza Express, Piccolinos, Café Nero, Bill’s Restaurant and Café Rouge.
The marketing agents for 3 St Paul’s Place are the Sheffield office of Knight Frank, together with the Leeds offices of BNP Paribas and Cushman & Wakefield.
