'No plans' to demolish 'at risk' former pop museum

The building in Sheffield was placed on an "at risk" list

A former museum that became a students' union venue will not be demolished, its owners have said following fears that it was at risk.

The charity Twentieth Century Society included the old National Centre for Popular Music in Sheffield on a national list of buildings vulnerable to neglect, dereliction or demolition.

They said the site, now part of Sheffield Hallam University, was "extremely vulnerable" after an announcement last year that the union would relocate.

The university told the BBC that they had no plans to raze the building and they were exploring alternative uses.

A university spokesperson said: "The HUBS building where Hallam Union has been based for a number of years is used on occasions for teaching, learning and other activities.

"We will be looking at several different options for the building in the longer-term as part of the next phase of our campus plan."

The building is currently home to Sheffield Hallam University's student union

The National Centre for Popular Music closed in June 2000, just 15 months after it opened.

According to the city council, the £15m venture was funded to the tune of £11m by the National Lottery – at the time it was the fourth-largest grant given to a project outside London.

The unique design of the building - four drums representing different aspects of music - attracted mixed reviews.

Oli Marshall, campaigns director at Twentieth Century Society, said he hoped the building would be reused in the future.

"The HUBS building may feel very young to be recognised as heritage, but it's now a quarter of century old and the product of an era where unprecedented public funding delivered some really ambitious and extraordinary projects, that are of national significance.

"While the museum may have been 'Top of the Flops', the building itself has long been a Sheffield icon."

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