Former National Centre for Popular Music empty for months as university ponders future

A spokesperson said they were “looking at options” for the site on Paternoster Row

An iconic Sheffield university students’ union stands in darkness at the beginning of term.

Sheffield Hallam University’s stainless steel HUBS building was vacated in January and student activities moved to two sites nearby.

The HUBS at Sheffield Hallam University has been empty since January.placeholder image
The HUBS at Sheffield Hallam University has been empty since January. | IM

A spokesperson said they were “looking at options” for the site on Paternoster Row, which opened as the National Centre for Popular Music in 1999.

The £15 million lottery-funded project closed after just 18 months, in July 2000.

The distinctive building comprises four stainless steel ‘drums’. It became Sheffield Hallam University’s students’ union.placeholder image
The distinctive building comprises four stainless steel ‘drums’. It became Sheffield Hallam University’s students’ union. | IM

Today the students’ union is next to the entrance to the Owen Building on Howard Street and in a former cafe at the Charles Street building.

The former Hallam University sudents' union has been empty for months.placeholder image
The former Hallam University sudents' union has been empty for months. | IM

In 2014, the university said it was looking at “several different options for the building as part of the next phase of our Campus Plan”.

A £140m City Campus, including three new buildings, opened next to the HUBS in September last year.

Last year, the university told the BBC they had no plans to raze the building.

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