Sheffield Council to bid for ‘mystery’ building as part of Levelling Up plans in Attercliffe

Councillors on the finance committee gave the green light to allow officers to bid on a property at auction next Tuesday.

Although the building was kept anonymous by the council, officers said in a report that it was next to the recently acquired the Grade II listed art deco Adelphi cinema – which also had former lives as a nightclub and bingo hall but has been shuttered since 2006.

Local property auctioneers Mark Jenkinson listed one auction in the area on that date which is Attercliffe Centre, at 3 Vicarage Road – next to the Adelphi – with a guide price of £225,000 to £250,000.

This was a former training centre with ancillary office accommodation and land amounting to 0.7 acres.

Darnall councillor Mary Lee, member of the finance committee, said: “I hope we are successful in purchasing the property because it is just going to add to the immense amount of investment that is going into the area…

“Not just this purchase, but all the things that have happened down there, will increase the number of people who want to invest in that area.”

Levelling Up Attercliffe

Funding for the acquisition will come from the £17 million allocated to Attercliffe from Sheffield’s successful Levelling Up bid.

Part of that funding was used to acquire the Adelphi and nearby land to revive it and bring it back into public use.

In a report, officers said this latest unconfirmed site would tie in with this existing project, if successful at auction.

“The site would be a good strategic acquisition to help facilitate reuse of the adjoining Adelphi Social Club, wider place making and regeneration of the High Street,” they said. “A determination of the end use and revenue costs will be provided in due course.”

Attempts were made to buy the property in private negotiations to reduce cost and time but the seller was unable to do this due to restrictions on the disposal of the site.

If successful at auction, the council will start surveys and preliminary works immediately, according to officers.

They added: “The acquisition of the property will increase the council’s ownership in the area, and further consideration will be taken to ensure that future uses of the site are accessible and benefit the local community. This will encourage further investment into the area and improve local community pride in Attercliffe.”