Old Town Hall Sheffield: Alarming picture shows decay - amid calls for new owner Gary Ata to 'get a move on'

The owner of the Old Town Hall in Sheffield has been urged to ‘get a move on’ a year after buying the building - as photo shows alarming decay.
By David Walsh
Published 8th Dec 2022, 13:31 BST
Updated 8th Dec 2022, 13:31 BST
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Valerie Bayliss, chair of the Friends of the Old Town Hall, urged Gary Ata to show he was serious about restoring the ‘great old listed building which has been neglected for too long’. Built in 1808, it has been disused for 25 years.

She spoke out a year after Mr Ata snapped up the site on Waingate for £600,000. He registered a company called The Courthouse Apartments (Sheffield) Ltd and took out two loans which were repaid on November 28 this year. But no repair or restoration work appear to have taken place. There are concerns theft of lead flashing has allowed water into the building. A photo, taken in March, shows a floor in one room has been removed.

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Ms Bayliss said: “In its current state it’s likely to be a drag on the city council’s plans to regenerate Castlegate; it will probably deter other potential investors; and we know its condition is getting worse. We hope the city council is monitoring the situation closely."

Pic of the judge's room in the Old Town Hall, Waingate. It is included in 'Sheffield In Ruins', a book by local publisher Revelations 23 press.Pic of the judge's room in the Old Town Hall, Waingate. It is included in 'Sheffield In Ruins', a book by local publisher Revelations 23 press.
Pic of the judge's room in the Old Town Hall, Waingate. It is included in 'Sheffield In Ruins', a book by local publisher Revelations 23 press.

Mr Ata and Sheffield City Counil were approached for comment. Mr Ata also owns several apartment blocks in the city and has faced complaints and prosecutions over managing them. The city council has received £15,760,894 from government to restore the former Sheffield Castle site on Waingate.

The photo is in a new book Sheffield In Ruins.