MIPIM | Q&A with the University of Sheffield

Can you give a quick overview of Runway Park?

Runway Park is a 100-acre brownfield site on the former Sheffield City Airport. Some facilities are already located there, including several of our advanced manufacturing and translational research buildings.

Overall, the site has around one million square feet of developable space. Our aim is to focus that on advanced manufacturing partners that we already collaborate with, but also attract many more.

The main sectors we’re targeting are aerospace, automotive, clean technology, and defence. Those are areas where we already have strong expertise through the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre, so the idea is to build on those strengths.

It’s interesting that you had such clear, specific aims for who you want to be on this site, so early on.

Yes – and that’s largely because we already have that ecosystem in place.

The AMRC has been operating for about 20 years now, so over that time we’ve built real expertise and real industry relationships in those sectors. Runway Park is really about expanding on that foundation.

The UK’s industrial strategy has also reinforced those priorities. The pillars within the strategy include areas such as clean tech, defence, and advanced manufacturing, which align very closely with the sectors we’ve been focusing on for a long time.

So in many ways it confirms that we’re already moving in the right direction and that we can now scale those activities further.

How is the university positioning Runway Park to attract investment, both from the UK and internationally?

At the moment we’re focused on de-risking the site and getting it investment-ready. We’re preparing to submit a planning application for the development, which will demonstrate to industry that we’re serious about delivering the project and that we’re ready to move forward quickly.

We’ve also already secured significant power capacity for the site, which we know will be a key factor for manufacturers and investors. Beyond that, we’re working with local authorities and partners to address early infrastructure requirements so that the site is ready for development.

The goal is to send a clear signal to industry: the site is being prepared now, and if companies want to be located here in the next few years, we’ll be ready to support them.

Are local authorities supporting the project financially?

We’re working closely with both Sheffield City Council and the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority to explore what support might be available.

The site sits within an investment zone, so we’re looking at what opportunities that might create, in terms of what funding we can seek. That could include grant funding or financial transaction, and longer-term support to help bring forward the infrastructure required.

Although the site was previously an airport, historically it was also a coal mine, and later landfill. Like many brownfield sites, that means there are some additional challenges to address during development. Those early remediation and infrastructure costs are higher, but redeveloping brownfield land is the right thing to do, and that’s where a lot of the opportunity lies.

How will Runway Park integrate with Sheffield’s wider regeneration plans?

Runway Park sits within the Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District, which is a key regeneration area for both Sheffield and the wider South Yorkshire region.

The project will transform an underused brownfield site and connect with wider regeneration activity happening around it. Both the city council and the mayoral combined authority have been working hard to increase the supply of housing nearby, including affordable homes. That’s really important because the people who live in those communities will ultimately work in the manufacturing and research facilities located at Runway Park.

The project is also fully aligned with the city’s Local Plan. There are clearly defined areas for manufacturing growth and areas where housing is being prioritised, and this site has been identified specifically for advanced manufacturing.

Beyond funding, what are the biggest challenges you’re facing and what opportunities do you see?

One of the big challenges is power supply, which is something developers across the UK are grappling with. We’ve secured significant capacity already, but of course the more power we can access, the more flexible the site becomes.

That challenge also creates opportunities. For example, we’re exploring how we might generate some energy on site and how we could build local energy networks that support the development.

More broadly, the key challenge is making sure the site is fully ready for investment. Our aim is to de-risk it, so that when an occupier wants to move forward, we can respond quickly.

We want Runway Park to be genuinely ‘spade-ready’ – somewhere a manufacturer can come to and know that development can begin without major delays.

What is the timeline for delivering the project?

Our ambition is to begin the first phases of development within the next couple of years.

In total, we expect Runway Park to be a roughly 10-year development programme. Much of the build-out will be occupier-led rather than purely speculative, because we want the facilities to be tailored to the needs of the companies locating there.

Ultimately, the goal is to ensure that when the next major manufacturer is looking for a UK base, we have a site that’s ready to support them immediately.