Adelphi Cinema Sheffield: Council 'considering' buying and renovating old cinema and nightclub

The former Adelphi Cinema in Vicarage Road will be raised at the Finance Sub-Committee on November 7, with a plan to buy it using a share of Attercliffe’s allocated £17m Leveling Up fund.

Together with the purchase of land near to the disused filmhouse, the council aims to build a ‘community space’ for the Attercliffe area.

It comes after planning permission was lodged by Olympia Wellbeing Academy in October 2021 to creating a space for sports mentoring. The Star has contacted the academy for a comment of if these plans are progressing alongside the council’s proposals.

Councillor Julie Grocutt co-chair of the Transport, Regeneration and Climate Policy Committee, said the plan would “inject new life” into downtrodden Attercliffe.

She said: “For a long time residents and those working in Attercliffe have lost pride in the area and its sense of community has declined. I’m certain the transformation of the former Adelphi Cinema into a community space which promotes culture and improves residents’ quality of life and wellbeing would be a welcomed step in the right direction.”

The Adelphi opened as a cinema in 1967. It has also been used as a nightclub and bingo hall. It stood vacant between 2006 and 2013 and has been used for storage for the past decade.

The council claims that if they buy the building work can begin “almost immediately”, while the search to find an operator can run alongside the redevelopment.

In 2022, Sheffield Council was allocated £37m through the Government’s Levelling Up Fund, £17m of which has been earmarked for Attercliffe and the other £20m for the Gateway area.

Other proposals for the Attercliffe cash include revamping Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park. The council claims it aims to work with Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust and Scarborough Group International to create “the world’s most advanced and integrated healthcare system for children”.

In addition, the funding will be used to improve connectivity in the area by building better links between Attercliffe high street and the Olympic Park, where they will also build a new cycle hub.