Sheffield’s O2 Academy set to reopen with permission given to new roof

The O2 Academy Sheffield is set to reopen after permission was granted to replace the roof of the venue.

The 2,150-capacity venue, which first opened in 2008, has been closed since September 2023. This was due to areas of unstable reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) – a lightweight material that is prone to collapse – being present in the roof.

• Read More: If Sheffield’s Leadmill – the venue that helped break Arctic Monkeys – goes, we all lose something

As BBC News reports, a planning request to replace the roof has now been granted.

The document said the work would allow the building to “reopen swiftly and return a vital business back to Sheffield city centre”. An exact reopening date has not yet been confirmed, however.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) had previously warned that RAAC – which was used extensively in the 1950s and ’60s – may “collapse with little or no notice”, due to its limited lifespan.

Last Thursday (February 6), Sheffield City Council granted permission for the O2 Academy Sheffield’s roof deck to be replaced with a new flat roof. The application had been submitted by Pegasus Planning Group on behalf of Pond Gate Estate two weeks prior.

Academy Music Group, which operates the venue, has been contacted for details about the future of the establishment.

Announcing the closure on September 28, 2023, a spokesperson wrote in a statement: “Further to recent guidance relating to RAAC (Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete) used in buildings, O2 Academy Sheffield will be temporarily closed as a precautionary measure while we carry out detailed surveys.”

“We appreciate this will be very disappointing and we apologise to all those affected by this decision. Our priority is to ensure the safety of all employees, performers and visitors.”

It continued: “Anyone who has purchased tickets for events impacted by this temporary closure will be contacted directly with further information as we work with event promoters and ticket agents to rearrange dates.”

The O2 Academy Sheffield occupies the old Roxy Nightclub building, and opened following a £3million refurbishment. Local band Reverend & The Makers played a show there on the opening night. In 2022, The Killers performed an intimate warm-up gig at the venue ahead of their UK and Ireland stadium tour that year.

The presence of RAAC – a “crumbly concrete” – has also resulted in the postponement of a new shipping container leisure venue, located between the O2 Academy and Odeon cinema on Arundel Gate in Sheffield.

Conditional permission for the STACK development was granted in March last year. The land for the planned attraction is under the same ownership as the O2 Academy Sheffield.

Last September, it was reported that at least 10 music venues and theatres had been forced to close over RAAC in their infrastructures.

Following the UK Government’s decision to revise the guidance on the dangerous material, over 150 schools partly or fully closed, with the crisis also affecting hospitals, airports, universities and courts.

Meanwhile, legendary Sheffield venue The Leadmill claimed at the end of last year that its future “hangs in the balance” after a court deferred its judgment over potential eviction.

The institution has been under threat since its owners the Electric Group issued an eviction notice in March 2022, which sparked an outcry from numerous music industry figures and live music fans.

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