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What is The Seam?
The Seam is Barnsley’s Digital Campus, an extension to Barnsley’s town centre, creating an urban village on the County Way car park areas. It will transform a network, extending the two DMC buildings and Barnsley College Sci-Tech Digital Hub. It will be a testbed for innovative ideas, supporting the Barnsley economy to grow, with digital and smart tech at the heart of it.

What is involved in Phase one of The Seam?
Phase one of The Seam was been submitted for planning application at the end of August 2022. The plans are for Lower County Way car park only, for a new Active Travel Hub, multi-storey car park and public areas.

Pending planning approval, work is due to start in Summer 2023 and complete towards the end of 2024.

The hybrid application includes an outline planning application for low carbon housing on part of the site. There will be a procurement exercise to appoint a housing developer to bring forward these plans.
 

What is involved in phase two?

There are indicative plans for phase two of the campus, on Upper County Way, but we don’t yet have funding for this, and is not included in any part of the phase one planning application.

The areas highlighted for phase two, include developments on Upper County way Car park, and behind the DMC 02 building.

 

Who is funding The Seam?
This first phase of development at The Seam digital business campus is part-funded by Future High Streets Fund which aims to renew and reshape town centres in a way that drives growth, improves experience and ensures future sustainability.

We don’t yet have a funding source for phase two.

Tell me more about the multistorey car park
- Aims to be Park Mark Approved (Highest possible safety accreditation)
-386 spaces (circa 40 of which will be electric charging points)
- will also connect to a new town-centre-wide smart signage system which will use real-time data to direct drivers to spaces both here and in other town centre car parks.

 

Tell me more about the Active Travel Hub

The Active Travel Hub will be of great benefit to increase more cyclists and walkers commuting to the town centre. They will be able to access bike storage, shower and toilet facilities, bike and scooter hire, plus there will be an onsite café.

How will The Seam be smart?

The campus will be a testbed for pioneering digital and eco-friendly tech solutions and actively seek to engage with entrepreneurs based at The Seam. For example, the new open spaces proposed will feature smart lighting which will shine brighter when people or vehicles pass to conserve energy and improve safety.

The proposed new energy-efficient housing development will incorporate innovative ideas in low-carbon, and ultimately zero-carbon, design to support greener town centre living

The network of open spaces and walkways, with integrated design and high-tech security features, is intended to allow people to enjoy the outdoors, see tech innovation in action, and share in community-based digital and creative projects and events.

 

What are the aims of The Seam?

The Seam builds on this great work already happening and this phase one development gives us an accessible and innovative urban village and digital cluster within the town centre where we can try new ideas, support positive change for Barnsley and build towards Barnsley Council’s 2030 ambitions for sustainability and growth.

It's a development which will bring together people, learning, business and places to help grow more innovative, digital jobs and businesses, ultimately benefitting the Barnsley economy in a modern, urban setting.

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