Sheffield City Council’s planning committee has voted to grant planning consent for British Land’s 330,000-sq ft Leisure Hall development at Meadowhall. The £300m extension will transform the centre’s leisure offer for its 24 million annual visitors.
The extension will integrate with the front of the existing centre featuring dining and entertaining options, a new cinema, café court, gym, open-air terrace and space for leisure, event and community use.
The Leisure Hall will follow the £60m refurbishment that is due to be completed this autumn, ahead of the peak Christmas trading period. In parallel with the landlord’s investment 40 retailers including All Saints, Hollister, House of Fraser and Hugo Boss have invested more than £34m in redesigning and refitting their existing stores.
In the 12 months to June 2017, all 61 occupiers with leases due to expire renewed their tenancies and eight of these retailers increased the size of their space within the centre. And 30 new brands including Flannels, Tag Heuer, Nespresso, Neal’s Yard and Godiva have signed at Meadowhall over the last 18 months,
Charles Maudsley, head of retail, leisure and residential for British Land, said: “The refurbishment completing later this year, our continued leasing success, significant store investment by retailers and the Leisure Hall proposals are all significant steps in the centre’s continued evolution.”