'Exciting new project' planned for old Sheffield tourist office

The former tourist office in Sheffield city centre

Sheffield's defunct tourist office is set to host an 'exciting new project' - but exactly what it will be used for remains a closely guarded secret.

Sheffield BID (Business Improvement District), which is funded by city centre firms and works to make the area cleaner, safer and more vibrant, is taking over the vacant building beside the Winter Garden.

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Diane Jarvis, Sheffield BID manager, said: "It's an exciting new project and we will be putting out information about it very soon.

"It will open in the next few months, though there's no opening date set yet.

"One thing we can say is that it's not going to be a tourist information office."

The glass-fronted building is currently being used to advertise the Sheffield Gift Card, which was launched last November and can be used at participating businesses in the city centre.

The old tourist office has been empty since Sheffield Council decided to close it last autumn and focus instead on promoting the city's visitor attractions online.

Sheffield FC, the world's oldest football club, had been in talks about taking over the venue as a shop and a way to promote the city as the home of football.