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Yorkshire Forward, the development group who own the centre, issued a press release to confirm they have accepted a £1.85m offer from the university, who plan to use the building as the base for their new Student’s Union.
Professor Diana Green, Vice Chancellor of Sheffield Hallam University said: “We’re now keen to move as quickly as we can. We are already picking up a buzz of excitement around our plan, which we believe will make a significant contribution to the spirit of the Cultural Industries Quarter and the life of the city.”
As previously reported on DiS, pressure group Pride in Sheffield had been campaigning for several months in an attempt to prevent the building being sold, and instead ensure “a positive and sustainable future for the National Centre for Popular Music as a public centre for cultural and creative activities. “
The NCPM closed as a visitor attraction in August 2000 after just 16 months. It cost £15m, with £11m in lottery grants. The centre was expected to attract 400,000 people a year, but drew fewer than a quarter of that.
