I often hear people use the term "white elephant" for many Sheffield landmarks and buildings.

What do you think is Sheffields biggest "white elephant"?
Can you see any future projects turning into one of these?

Dunno about "White Elephant", but Sheffield's biggest waste of space has definitely got to be the Winter Gardens IMO, they're nowt but a glorified green house.

Someone was telling me they used to work at The Source near meadowhell - would nominate that based on their tales !

Personally I love the winter gardens - just a shame that marks and sparks dont have a little shop attached to it :P

Originally posted by Rich
Dunno about "White Elephant", but Sheffield's biggest waste of space has definitely got to be the Winter Gardens IMO, they're nowt but a glorified green house.

Fair enough, but I hope you're not one of the people who have written in the comments book "waste of council tax money" I had that three times today! The thing is that the place was paid by Millenium regeneration funding from the Lottery.

I myself think that it compliments the millenium galleries.

I think the Centre for popular music was the biggest waste for me. Only thanks to the university has it got a puropse now.

There was only one thing wrong with the centre for Pop music, they got bloody greedy and wanted people to pay 7 quid a pop to even get through the door never mind probably charging a bomb in the canteen and for merchandise etc.

Imagine a family of 4, mum/dad and 2 kids?! That's £28 before they've even seen anything! Not many people would stand for that kind of daylight robbery.

If they'd have got Museum status for the place it would maybe have fared a lot lot better than it did, cos Museums let you in for free, still rob you in the canteen like, but if you haven't payed a fortune to get in, that's not so bad.

How about Sheffield City Airport - what use is that??

Originally posted by Norbo
How about Sheffield City Airport - what use is that??

As a buissnes airport it's doing well and expanding bringing money and jobs in.
What I don't get is how a comercial airport that size was supposed to compete with the bigger airports only a few miles away?

Originally posted by Norbo
How about Sheffield City Airport - what use is that??

Landing aircraft on, mostly - that's what airports do

Originally posted by Rich
Dunno about "White Elephant", but Sheffield's biggest waste of space has definitely got to be the Winter Gardens IMO, they're nowt but a glorified green house.

That's a shame you think it's a waste cos we loved it. My husband was very impressed with the archetecture and we spent quite a while in there looking around and in the Millenium Gallery. I must admit it's more for the visitor to Sheffield and for the passing tourists. Not really for the locals to hang out in.

Yeah i think the NCPM gets my vote too. The idea would have been an interesting one if it was just an exhibition for a fixed ammount of time. Music is not really something you can quantify or put in a museum, it's too dynamic. think they should have researched it first. I think the university has at least given it a use, as it would have been derelict for many more years.

Originally posted by duffman


What do you think is Sheffields biggest "white elephant"?



Just about everything that Councillors spend our money on.

Originally posted by Norbo
How about Sheffield City Airport - what use is that??

Yep I have to agree - if only they had made that runway longer......

Originally posted by Indigogo
Just about everything that Councillors spend our money on.

That'll be schools, old people's homes, libraries, social housing, street cleaning, care homes then?

Originally posted by Rich
Dunno about "White Elephant", but Sheffield's biggest waste of space has definitely got to be the Winter Gardens IMO, they're nowt but a glorified green house.
Would you rather they build a big concrete egg box then?

Some folk are never happy :confused:

Originally posted by Rich
Dunno about "White Elephant", but Sheffield's biggest waste of space has definitely got to be the Winter Gardens IMO, they're nowt but a glorified green house.

Errr... isn't that the point?

Originally posted by MrHelicopter
Landing aircraft on, mostly - that's what airports do

But do many aircraft actually use it? Certainly no scheduled flights any more. I know some light aircraft use it and helicopters (although you don't really need a 1200m runway for a helicopter).

There clearly isn't the demand in Sheffield for a City type airport. Which is a real shame IMO - I used it when there were scheduled flights to Amsterdam and it was fantastically convenient - so much better than driving to Manchester or somewhere first.
I don't think it was ever intended to compete with the likes of East Midlands/Leeds/Manchester etc though - and the runway is too short for any large aircraft.

Bit of a status symbol for the City really, and a bit of an embaressment at the same time. But good news though, if it is attracting business flights and jobs and investment etc...

I remember when the Supertram was under construction it got the title "white elephant" before it even got running.
I see a future transport idea turning into a disaster if it got the go ahed which is the Sheffield cable car, prove me wrong.

It said in the Star that the Cable Cars would come up Stannington if they get off the ground (pardon the pun), so I'm interested in seeing how it turns out..... Meh, it'll have to be better than the bus service round ere at the moment...

Originally posted by Rich
It said in the Star that the Cable Cars would come up Stannington if they get off the ground (pardon the pun), so I'm interested in seeing how it turns out..... Meh, it'll have to be better than the bus service round ere at the moment...

True, but if greedy first get their hands on it then I think we may as well walk, plus if we have to put up with taxis stopping at stannington road because of stone throwing what chance do the cable cars have?

Originally posted by Rich
There was only one thing wrong with the centre for Pop music, they got bloody greedy and wanted people to pay 7 quid a pop to even get through the door never mind probably charging a bomb in the canteen and for merchandise etc.

Imagine a family of 4, mum/dad and 2 kids?! That's £28 before they've even seen anything! Not many people would stand for that kind of daylight robbery.

If they'd have got Museum status for the place it would maybe have fared a lot lot better than it did, cos Museums let you in for free, still rob you in the canteen like, but if you haven't payed a fortune to get in, that's not so bad.

The sad thing about this is only a couple of years after it closed all national museums got a grant from central goverment to make it free entry. Places like the National Science Museum used to charge.

That is a real shame.

I always thought, though, that they spent so much money on the building that they'd run out of cash by the time they started to think about what to put in it. I'd hoped for genuine memorabilia, but what we got was a few dog-eared instruments and a room full of tiny photos of pop stars.

It may not be the biggest (quite) but it's certainly the most numerous.....

....yes, I nominate speed-humps!!!!

They're everywhere and I've yet to meet anyone who thinks they're a good idea. (Except perhaps the guys at Quick-Fit who make a fortune putting exhausts back on!)

I vote that if they want to lay any more of these mini-mountains they should construct them by burrying a councillor under the tarmac in each one!:D

Originally posted by Norbo
But do many aircraft actually use it? Certainly no scheduled flights any more. I know some light aircraft use it and helicopters (although you don't really need a 1200m runway for a helicopter).


Yes they do!

Did you know that Leeds Flying School has just moved a large part of their operation out of Leeds/Bradford Airport - to Sheffield City Airport! They are bringing about 12 aircraft with them. There are two other fixed wing flying schools, other helicopter companies (who I won't mention! :) ) and a lot of people who keep their own aircraft there. The airport has just opened a second hangar, and may build a third.

There are a lot of visiting aircraft coming in and out all the time - a Citation business jet came in today, a Learjet last week.

Once the summer comes, it will get very busy indeed.

Just because an aircraft isn't going to Ibiza doesn't mean to say it isn't an aircraft. Finningley will do all that.

Originally posted by MrHelicopter
Yes they do!

Did you know that Leeds Flying School has just moved a large part of their operation out of Leeds/Bradford Airport - to Sheffield City Airport! They are bringing about 12 aircraft with them. There are two other fixed wing flying schools, other helicopter companies (who I won't mention! :) ) and a lot of people who keep their own aircraft there. The airport has just opened a second hangar, and may build a third.

There are a lot of visiting aircraft coming in and out all the time - a Citation business jet came in today, a Learjet last week.

Once the summer comes, it will get very busy indeed.

Just because an aircraft isn't going to Ibiza doesn't mean to say it isn't an aircraft. Finningley will do all that.

Well that is interesting. So not quite the white elephant I thought it was after all, although still not much use to your average traveller.

Do you have any details of the Leeds flying school - I want to try and get my PPL this year if possible. And you say there are 2 other 2 fixed wing schools - I know one is Sheffield City FS but who is the other? Again do you have details? Could you possibly PM me the details. Cheers.

Surprised a Learjet turned up - I thought they needed slightly more runway.

Originally posted by duffman
Fair enough, but I hope you're not one of the people who have written in the comments book "waste of council tax money" I had that three times today! The thing is that the place was paid by Millenium regeneration funding from the Lottery.

I myself think that it compliments the millenium galleries.

I think the Centre for popular music was the biggest waste for me. Only thanks to the university has it got a puropse now.

The Centre was never actucally empty. It has been used a lot of community projects, like there is an Internet radio station being run from there now(cant remember the address at the moment!). The University is only taking over half the buliding, and the radio station the other. Also the place was used as a club for so long.

Originally posted by qazitory
The Centre was never actucally empty. It has been used a lot of community projects, like there is an Internet radio station being run from there now(cant remember the address at the moment!). The University is only taking over half the buliding, and the radio station the other. Also the place was used as a club for so long.

I never actually quoted it as being empty, the internet radio station (sheffieldlive) took up just half a drum at the bottom, I have presented a show in there myself and it is a great place but was never intended to take over the whole building to give it a 'purpose'. The only reason it got in there is because the NCPM was funded by lottery money and the use of building should include public access. In a paper article today the NCPM was listed among the worst projects supported by the arts council and lottery cash.

Anything that has been built in the last ten years and is now due for demolition. By the way, The Winter garedens are brilliant. If the building has a fault, it is that it is not big enough. Oh yes, and they are intending to build another white elephant in front of it. That's two faults isn't it?

Originally posted by Jess
Anything that has been built in the last ten years and is now due for demolition.

Which buildings are they ? I can't think of any.


Originally posted by Jess
Oh yes, and they are intending to build another white elephant in front of it.

I don't see how a busy hotel will be a white elephant. :loopy:

doesn't the white elephants term refer to the national centre for popular music soon to become sheffield hallam university students union... I think these buildings need a purpose otherwise they risk a backlash by the public who want results in services and general city structure...
...what they do do is make the city more attractive to inward investment on the one hand and on the other increase the sense of pride in the city,,which sheffield needs to compete with cities like leeds and manchester

Originally posted by Funke88
That's a shame you think it's a waste cos we loved it. My husband was very impressed with the archetecture and we spent quite a while in there looking around and in the Millenium Gallery. I must admit it's more for the visitor to Sheffield and for the passing tourists. Not really for the locals to hang out in.

Sure it is, it's one of the only places in the city centre where one can eat their lunch under cover (excluding cafes and other eateries of course).

The NUM building gets my vote

Empty, covered in graffitti, weeds growing out of it, and nicely situated next to a theatre and a posh department store - probably putting off lots of visitors to that part of town and totally unacceptable