Iconic venue The Leadmill, in Sheffield, could move to a new location if it is evicted, according to the company’s director.
The venue has been under threat since 2022, after the owners of the building issued an eviction notice which sparked an outcry across the music industry and from gig-goers. The Leadmill’s legal team is now in the process of fighting the decision, which it claims is in breach of several laws.
According to the BBC, the company’s sole director Phil Mills said in an eviction hearing at the Business and Property Court in Leeds today (December 18) that opening a new venue in the city could be a “possibility”.
Mills said the possibility of moving to a new location was a “hypothetical” and “plan B or plan C”. Plan A, according to the director, “is that we succeed in this case and we carry on.”
Electric Group, the owners of the 900-capacity venue’s building, served an eviction notice on their tenants The Leadmill Ltd in March 2022. The Leadmill Ltd own the trademark for the venue’s name – meaning a new venue in a different building could retain the name and branding of the original.
However, Mills said a new site for The Leadmill might “not necessarily” be in Sheffield. “If we found a suitable premises in Sheffield we would effectively be competing against ourselves because The Leadmill’s name and legacy is indivisible in our customers’ minds,” he said.
“[Electric Group boss] Mr [Dominic] Madden said in his statements it [the venue] will always be known as The Leadmill, he’s quite right. Old Trafford will always be known as Old Trafford.”
Earlier this week Electric Group boss Dominic Madden accused his tenant of making “absurdly overcooked” estimates about refurbishment costs of the venue.
The hearing continues.
Local news outlet The Sheffield Star reports that a new plan to partially demolish The Leadmill to improve the “the visual characteristics of the area” has been submitted and is awaiting approval. Sheffield City Council’s planning officers have until February 3 to make their decision on the outcome of this proposal.
Since opening in 1980, the independent venue has hosted the likes of Coldplay and The Stone Roses.
After the venue was given its eviction notice in 2022, former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn visited The Leadmill and encouraged others to “get behind it.
He also echoed the views of countless Sheffield locals, hailing it as “the heart of the city”, as well as the stance held by Arctic Monkeys, Jarvis Cocker and Bring Me The Horizon’s Oli Sykes among the Sheffield artists to have spoken out in support of the venue.
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