The Leadmill: Famous Sheffield nightclub operator applies to demolish part of historic venue

The Leadmill’s director, Phil Mills, has applied to Sheffield City Council for permission to demolish the toilet block in the venue on Leadmill Road he runs his business from.

His planning application states that the reason for the proposed demolition is ‘returning (the) building to pre-leasing condition’.

The application follows comments by The Leadmill’s general manager Ian Lawlor in 2022 that the building’s tenants would strip the venue back to how they found it when they took over and leave behind a ‘derelict flour mill’ if they were forced out by the building’s owner.

The building’s freeholder, MVL Properties, owned by Dominic Madden, of Electric Group, is seeking to evict the current operators of The Leadmill, whose lease expired in March 2023.

Electric Group, which already runs a number of music venues elsewhere in the country, wants to take over the building and to keep it running as a nightclub and music venue.

An eviction hearing to decide the building’s future is taking place this week at Leeds Business & Property Court.

MVL Properties has responded to The Leadmill’s planning application by submitting its own pre-emptive application to reinstate the buildings in question should they be demolished by the existing tenants.

Famous signage could change

MVL Properties is also seeking planning permission to replace the painted signage on the gable brickwork of the building on Leadmill Road.

This application suggests that the name of the venue would change under its new operators, should they take over.

The existing sign reads ‘The Leadmill’ but in the plans submitted by MVL Properties this is changed to say ‘Sheffield’.

The plans also show the famous red neon ‘Leadmill’ sign changed to read ‘Sheffield’.

There has been debate about whether the building’s owner would be allowed to keep the name The Leadmill, or whether the name belongs to the operators.

Electric Group’s other venues include Electric Brixton, in London, and SWX Bristol.

The Leadmill opened in 1980 and has hosted many famous acts over the years, including the Arctic Monkeys, the Stone Roses, Oasis and a seminal early gig by Pulp, which is commemorated with a plaque.