£29m cost of Sheffield city centre conversion scheme revealed

The city council is advertising for a principal contractor for the arguably the most important phase of the project.

Called ‘Block A’, it involves converting the Victorian Palatine Chambers buildings on Pinstone Street into an upmarket 156-bedroom Radisson Blu hotel, and converting the former Embrace nightclub, round the corner on Barker’s Pool, into a leisure complex.

Retaining the nightclub, known as the Gaumont building, is a change from plans to demolish it, announced in 2018, and will save millions.

Ground floor shop units on both streets will be retained.

The site has a ‘commanding presence’ overlooking the Peace Gardens and the Grade 1 listed town hall. At the rear, on Burgess Street, it faces John Lewis.

The council’s advert states the contract is estimated to cost £29m, with work estimated to start in December and finish two years later in December 2022.

Expressions of interest must be in by June 8.

Work carried out so far, including architectural designs, had a budget of £4.3 million.

The Gaumont building was originally the Regent Theatre and opened on Boxing Day in 1927. In July 1946, it was renamed Gaumont Theatre and played host to major artists including The Rolling Stones and The Beatles. It reopened as the Gaumont cinema in 1969 but closed in November 1985.

The building was demolished and replaced by shops, offices and a new two-screen Odeon cinema, which later become Embrace nightclub. The club has been closed for several years.

On Pinstone Street, Radisson Blu has been selected by Sheffield City Council as the preferred hotel brand. It will anchor the new Heart of the City II scheme which is already home to global bank HSBC and will shortly welcome prominent international law firm, CMS - which is occupying 45,000 sq. ft of office space - later in the year.

Block ‘A’ will also have 45,000 sq. ft of office or residential space.

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