Barnsley has won four awards at the 2026 South Yorkshire Property Awards, held on Thursday 9 July at the Crowne Plaza Royal Victoria Hotel in Sheffield. The awards recognise the region's best completed projects, property deals and industry figures.
The Seam Digital Campus
The Seam Digital Campus claimed two prizes. Phase one won the Sustainability and Social Impact Award, with judges highlighting the sustainability focus of the works. Phase two was successful in the Future Ambition category, recognised as an engaging and digitally-enabled site intended to drive growth and innovation locally and regionally.
Base71 Youth Zone
Base71 Youth Zone won the Outstanding Development of the Year Award. The judges noted how the building's design addressed challenges from the site's location, shape, level changes and ground contamination. The scheme also achieved a 300 per cent increase in site biodiversity.
Barnsley College's University Centre
Barnsley College's University Centre won the Heritage Project of the Year category. The building, nearly a century old, was transformed from suffering high heat loss, inefficient gas heating and limited digital infrastructure capacity to having all-electric services and an EPC A rating.
The project tackled hidden structural issues, legacy services and the challenges of working within a live college environment. An underused open courtyard was converted into a central enclosed atrium with a glazed roof and new mezzanine floors, creating a study and collaboration hub.
Other nominations
Gateway 36, Health on the High Street and Barnsley College's University Centre were all nominated for the Outstanding Development of the Year Award.
Base71 received a nomination for the Sustainability and Social Impact Award. The letting of a 266,044 sqft unit to Evri at Arrow Point was nominated for Property Deal of the Year. Matt O'Neill, the council's Executive Director for Place, was nominated for Property Personality of the Year.
Council response
Councillor Andy Cudworth, Cabinet spokesperson for Regeneration and Assets, said the borough had 10 nominations on the night, reflecting the quality of projects being delivered. He thanked council officers and public and private sector partners for their contribution to the awards and nominations.