Experts say Sorby House may only fetch a little over £1 million - and a March 31 deadline imposed when New Deal was created means the cash meant to help regenerate the area is instead likely to be clawed back by the Government.

The shocking £3.3m loss is equivalent to more than £6 for every one of Sheffield's 500,000 residents. Sorby House, on Spital Hill, formerly drab DSS offices, was revamped to a high spec rivaling city centre offices as part of the regeneration agency's £52m programme.

The building was intended to become self-sufficient, run by a trust, with some of its floorspace used by community groups whose rents would be subsidised by letting to commercial tenants and public bodies. Now, more than two years after opening, only 48 per cent of the building is occupied and the rental income is insufficient to fund running costs.


Meanwhile I hear the Labour voters scream that the money was pulled from Foremasters but you hear NOTHING from them when they witness wanton waste and corruption (you mark my words more back pockets will have been lined with this screw up) The building is full of tenants that rely on grants and handouts and hopefully once the cuts start biting they like this waste of money building will be gone, as it should have been in the first place. Demolished it would have made a nice Green Space and the former garage over the road parking space, or even a mini bus interchange.

Whenever you hear the words "run by a Trust" then realise its about jobs for the people running it and little else. Just look elsewhere in Sheffield and see how many "Trusts" have sprung up over the past few years. Just have a walk round Burngreve that burnt out building The former Lion works, there are countless derelict buildings in this area right up to Cathrine street, (though some have now been demolished). Refurbishing a building in an run-down area when there are plenty of properties that have been empty for years was stupid. But, it seems to be in keeping with past Labour spend it all policy.

The entire area is an eyesore , a ghetto and a no go area, so who in their right mind would even consider renting business offices right in the middle of a dump? Road access is poor, parking a nightmare and walking the streets is not to be recommended Anymore money put forward for Burngreave should be given to a demolition contractor to demolish Sorby House, dreary dump, I moved in 1996 having had a gun pointed at me.

£4.5 million is an utter waist, given the fact the area is littered with old historical bulings going to rot and waist the saying "cant make a silk purse from a sows ear" springs to mind. Once more it will be The Working Class who pay for this fuck up, in times of austerity and cuts the very Middle Class who have gained from this will not suffer, we have there bleating about how this government is an attack upon The Working Class, need we remind them they said fuck all when we had 13 years of New Labour attacking The Working Class.