Judge rules tenants of famous city venue must leave
Tenants of The Leadmill music venue, in Sheffield, must leave the premises according to a judge’s ruling.
Electric Group, which owns the building, served an eviction notice on its tenants, The Leadmill Ltd, in March 2022 as it intends to operate the business itself.
Since then, the owner and tenants have engaged in a legal dispute over who should be allowed to run the venue, which is near Sheffield city centre. The case was heard at The Business and Property Courts in Leeds late last year.
His Honour, Justice Sir Alastair Norris, has now ruled in favour of the Electric Group.
The decision means The Leadmill Ltd has three months and 21 days to leave the 900-capacity property. The Leadmill said it was taking legal advice.
In his ruling, Justice Norris said the “present intention” was to rebrand the venue as “SK 35.”
An Electric Group spokesman told the BBC that the judge’s decision “paves the way for a bright future for this venue, ensuring it will receive the substantial investment it needs to thrive.
“It will continue to be a cornerstone of the live music scene in Sheffield, supporting artists, fans, and community projects for the next 100 years.”
Electric Group boss, Dominic Madden, had told the eviction hearing that under his ownership the venue “will be a slightly more polished, probably modernised, version of the same thing”, which will continue to host concerts and nightclub events.
He said the venue could be up and running under his ownership by September.
Lawyers on behalf of The Leadmill warned the cost of a refurbishment would be up to £4.1m, money they said Madden could not prove he had.
But Madden’s legal team instead estimated the cost of the works to be just over £2m.
In a statement, The Leadmill said: “While this is a challenging and upsetting moment for our venue, we want to reassure our supporters, artists, and the wider community that there is no immediate timeline for what happens next.
“Our team is actively consulting with our legal advisors to assess our next steps. We remain committed to exhausting every possible legal avenue to secure our future, retain our staff and protect our venue.
“This is more than just a legal battle for the team here – it’s personal. The Leadmill isn’t just bricks and mortar; it’s a home.
“Many of our team have grown up here, worked here for over 15 years and dedicated our lives to creating incredible events and experiences.
“We are real people, with a deep love for what we do, and we never imagined we’d be facing something like this.
“But we are in it together, doing everything we can to fight for the place that means so much to us and to so many others.”
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