This is how Scarborough Group is transforming Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park
Nicola Bulley believes Yorkshire’s real estate sector should be in the hands of leaders whose business interests march in time with the communities they serve.
Ms Bulley left school at 16 with no clear plan, but armed with a powerful work ethic. In her role as group marketing and business development director at the property regeneration company Scarborough Group International, she has already helped to shape a host of projects which have brought jobs and investment to Yorkshire including the Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park. She hopes her story can inspire others.
“I worked my way up, studying for professional qualifications in the evenings alongside a full-time job,’’ she said. “I’ve always been determined to keep pushing forward and to keep learning, and I’ve been lucky to have people along the way who supported me.
“That’s why I’m such a big advocate for apprenticeships and other alternative routes. Not everyone comes through the same channels, nor should they. If we open up opportunities more widely, through apprenticeships, mentoring, and recognising talent wherever it comes from, the sector will be stronger, more innovative, and far more reflective of the communities we’re building for.”
Before joining SGI, she held a number of senior roles at Lambert Smith Hampton, most recently as interim head of marketing and business development. Ms Bulley began her career at CBRE, where she supported the marketing for its building consultancy, asset management, valuation and retail agency divisions.
“For me, marketing has always been about people, what drives them, how they make decisions, how their environment shapes behaviour,’’ she said. “Real estate is just a bigger stage for all of that. The places we create influence how businesses grow, how communities connect, and how economies tick. In other words, it’s people-watching with bricks and mortar.”
What drew her to Scarborough was the culture and the story behind the business.
"Kevin, (McCabe) our Chairman, left school at 15 to work on a building site and, through sheer hard work and entrepreneurial instinct, built a global real estate organisation. You can’t get more “built from the ground up” than that. That resilience and drive still runs through the business today. And when I joined, it didn’t feel corporate or hierarchical; it felt like being welcomed into a family — one that just happens to deliver major regeneration schemes. You’re trusted, respected, and encouraged to take ownership and push your career where you can add the most value.”
The group believes in the long term power of regeneration.
“Thorpe Park Leeds is a great example,’’ Ms Bulley said. “It started life as a business park, but today it’s a vibrant mixed-use community in its own right. You’ve got offices, homes, shops, health and wellbeing facilities, and green space. The next phase will push that further, workspace that reflects how people want to work now, new urban homes, industrial space where demand is strong, and more green space to knit it all together.
“Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park shows placemaking from a different angle. It’s not just about the buildings, but the ecosystem, universities, the NHS, businesses and the public sector working side by side. We’ve just opened a coworking lounge and café at Steel City Stadium, and it’s already alive with entrepreneurs, innovators, athletes, students and the local community.
"That mix is the magic, and with HealthTech becoming such a focus, the Park is giving Sheffield something truly distinctive. In Scarborough, we’ve just reached an important milestone with the closure of the Brunswick (shopping centre). That wasn’t easy, shopping centres carry a lot of personal and emotional history, but it was a necessary step to move the project forward.
"The focus now is on reimagining the Brunswick itself, and by doing that it has the potential to become a catalyst for the wider regeneration of the town centre.
“Scarborough already attracts millions of visitors each year, and this scheme is about giving them more reasons to spend time in the heart of town, creating a ripple effect that strengthens the whole area.
“At the same time, we’re pushing ahead with some really exciting projects across Scarborough Group. One that stands out is the Old Medical School in Leeds. It’s one of the city’s iconic heritage buildings, and the plan is to transform it into a world-class Health Tech Innovation Hub as part of the Leeds Innovation Village. For me, what makes this project so special is that it’s not just about restoring a building, it’s about creating an ecosystem where the NHS, universities, start-ups and global players can come together to turn ideas into reality.
"It builds on what we’re already doing at Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park, and it has the potential to be a real game-changer for the region’s Health Tech sector. And then of course, next year marks Scarborough Group’s 50th anniversary, which is a huge milestone.”
"Scarborough Group has never been about chasing numbers for the sake of it, we’ve always been about building places that stand the test of time. But when you look at the scale of what’s already been delivered and what’s in the pipeline, the potential is enormous.”
In the UK, Scarborough Group has already delivered more than 9.3 million sq ft of commercial space and almost 4,000 homes. The pace shows no signs of slackening.
She added: “Looking ahead, our 10.2 million sq ft commercial pipeline and 1,700 residential units are underpinned by 2,300 acres of land that we own or control. That gives us the platform to keep shaping large-scale projects in Leeds, Sheffield, Scarborough, Manchester and Edinburgh, projects that will continue evolving for the next decade and beyond.”