Sheffield will use UKREiiF this week to highlight major housing, regeneration and innovation projects now moving into delivery, as city leaders seek further investment and new partnerships.
A senior delegation from Sheffield City Council, alongside key partners including Homes England, the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA), Sheffield Property Association, and both Sheffield universities, will attend the event in Leeds from 19–21 May. UKREiiF, the UK’s largest real estate and infrastructure conference, is expected to attract more than 16,000 investors, developers and national and local government representatives.
Building on the success of its completed flagship £400m+ Heart of the City programme, Sheffield arrives at this year’s conference with several further large-scale city centre schemes progressing. Major mixed-use regeneration continues at West Bar, alongside emerging neighbourhood residential developments at Furnace Hill, Neepsend and Moorfoot – involving partners such as Capital&Centric, Citu, Rider Levett Bucknall, Great Places, Arup, PfP Igloo and others. Projects including Station Campus and the transformation of the former Cole Brothers building are also entering the next phase of delivery, helping to define the city’s next chapter of growth.
Housing remains high up on the agenda for Sheffield. The city has a clear trajectory to deliver 38,000 homes by 2039 through its ambitious Sheffield Together programme – a long‑term housing partnership between Sheffield City Council, Homes England, the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority, both universities and multiple private sector partners.
Central to this ambition is creating a more compact, sustainable and thriving city, with significant densification planned in the city centre and the delivery of new neighbourhoods on previously developed brownfield sites. Around 20,000 homes are planned for the city centre alone, supporting urban living and the city’s housing needs.
Around 2,000 homes are in active development today, with more than 10,000 housing starts being triggered across the near-, medium- and long‑term pipeline. This includes the proposed transformation of Gleadless Valley, where the ‘Vision for the Valley’ programme aims to deliver around 1,100 new homes over the next decade, alongside improved green spaces and enhanced community infrastructure.
At UKREiiF, the city will also highlight commercial investment opportunities linked to the Sheffield Innovation Spine and the Don Valley Corridor. Together, these areas have the potential to support over 10,500 new homes, deliver significant new commercial space, and create more than 18,500 jobs across advanced manufacturing, research, and technology.
Sheffield will also emphasise the role of culture as a driver of growth. The city’s globally recognised cultural assets – including Sheffield Theatres, its music and creative industries, and a growing presence in film, design and digital – are increasingly embedded within regeneration schemes.
Recent Government investment – including the Northern Growth Corridor, City Investment Fund, South Yorkshire Defence Growth Deal and funding for Sheffield Theatres – has further reinforced national confidence in the city’s economic and cultural offer.
Kate Josephs, Chief Executive of Sheffield City Council, said:
“Sheffield is coming to UKREiiF with real momentum. We have a clear long-term plan, and increasingly, that plan is being delivered on the ground.
“Confidence is rising. The city is increasingly recognised nationally as an exemplar for housing delivery, innovation-led regeneration and partnership working, with Government highlighting our clarity of purpose and collaborative approach.
“Major schemes are moving into construction, thousands of homes are in the pipeline, and new commercial and innovation spaces are taking shape. UKREiiF gives us the opportunity to build on that progress, unlock further investment and strengthen new partnerships. Yes, we have a strong long-term plan, but we are also focused on getting things done today.”
The Sheffield City Council programme will feature contributions from Chief Executive Kate Josephs and senior council leaders, alongside partners from the public, private and cultural sectors.
Sessions featuring Sheffield at this year’s conference include:
- Sheffield Innovation Spine: Demand-Driven Delivery and a Pipeline Built for Growth
- Sheffield on the Global Stage: Culture as a Catalyst for Growth
- Don Valley Corridor: Rebuilding UK Industrial Strength for a New Era
- Is Gleadless Valley a New Blueprint for Estate Regeneration in the North?
Across the three-day conference, the Sheffield delegation will focus on demonstrating how the city is now firmly in the delivery phase of its long-term vision, with housing, innovation-led regeneration and strong partnership working central to its growth strategy. This is underpinned by unparalleled access to green space and iconic cultural assets, strengthening Sheffield’s overall lifestyle offer.
For more information about investment opportunities in Sheffield, visit www.welcometosheffield.co.uk. To arrange a meeting during UKREiiF, please contact invest@sheffield.gov.uk.
