At a glance

Sheffield arts charity CADS is reopening its Arley Street venue on 6 November after resolving issues with Sheffield City Council and Business Sheffield. The venue, which temporarily closed due to business rates issues, will again host live music, theatre, and community events. This reopening is part of CADS's ongoing efforts to support Sheffield's cultural scene and provide affordable creative spaces.

Open evening planned for Friday 6 November as Sheffield arts charity moves forward following positive engagement with Sheffield City Council and Business Sheffield

Sheffield arts charity CADS is preparing to reopen its Arley Street venue in November, with an open evening planned for Friday 6 November following positive engagement with Sheffield City Council and Business Sheffield.

The reopening will return the Arley Street venue to regular use as a flexible 180-capacity space for live music, theatre, community activity, private events and creative production, including photo and video shoots and rehearsals. The space includes a stage, bar, dancefloor and accessible facilities, and can be configured for standing or seated use.

The reopening comes as CADS continues its wider work with Sheffield City Council on the city’s cultural future. The council named CADS as preferred operator for Event Central in March 2025 and has subsequently described the charity as the venue’s future operator. Event Central is expected to open in 2027, creating a new platform for Sheffield’s creative talent alongside the grassroots spaces where artists, organisations and ideas develop.

Arley Street temporarily closed on 2 September amid uncertainty over outstanding business rates issues, following an enforcement visit on 26 August. Since then, Business Sheffield has helped coordinate direct engagement between CADS, the council’s Business Rates team and other officers, including confirming the enforcement pause and bringing the parties together for further meetings. Music Venue Trust has also supported CADS and the Arley Street venue through its venue support programme and joined the latest council discussions. Local councillors have also supported efforts to get matters back on track. Outstanding rates matters are still being worked through, but CADS is pleased with the progress and is focused on reopening the venue and continuing its charitable work across the city.

CADS has been operating in Sheffield since 2009, growing from three studio spaces to more than 86 studios across six buildings at its peak. Its charitable purpose is to keep creative space affordable and accessible, giving people and organisations room to make, rehearse, perform and develop ideas that might otherwise struggle to find a home. Over that time its spaces have provided a home or early base for arts organisations, record labels, music producers, radio stations, event spaces, artists, makers and independent creative businesses. The Night Kitchen, run in partnership with Party for the People, was named one of the UK’s 10 best clubs by The Guardian in 2015. Today CADS manages three sites with more than 40 studios, while the Arley Street venue provides a flexible, accessible 180-capacity performance space for live music, theatre, workshops and community events.

A spokesperson for the CADS team said:

“We’re really pleased to be getting Arley Street ready to welcome people back. It’s an important space for Sheffield and we’re looking forward to seeing it full of music, performance and people again.

“We’ve had constructive conversations with Sheffield City Council and Business Sheffield, and we’re grateful to them for helping move things forward.

“There’s rightly excitement about Sheffield’s future cultural infrastructure, including Event Central. But we also need to value the spaces and organisations doing this work every day. CADS helps people get ideas off the ground, find affordable space and build creative communities. Our aim is to keep that work going for years to come.”

Further details of the 6 November open evening will be announced shortly, alongside additional events and community activity at the Arley Street venue.

CADS is inviting journalists, councillors, cultural organisations, community groups and prospective users to the open evening on 6 November to visit the Arley Street venue, meet the team and tour the facilities.

Visits and interviews can also be arranged through the press contact below.

Editorial insight

The planned reopening of CADS’ Arley Street venue follows a period of operational uncertainty, highlighting the ongoing challenges faced by arts organisations in maintaining affordable creative spaces. The resolution, supported by intervention from Sheffield City Council and Business Sheffield, demonstrates the importance of collaborative approaches in sustaining grassroots cultural infrastructure at a time when many independent venues are under pressure from financial and regulatory issues.

For Sheffield’s creative community, the return of Arley Street provides a vital resource for performance, production and community activity. As the city looks ahead to larger-scale projects such as Event Central, the continued operation of established venues like Arley Street remains essential for supporting emerging talent and ensuring accessible opportunities for local artists and organisations.

Story ideas and journalist angles

Politics/policy

The Role of Local Government in Supporting Cultural Spaces During Financial Crises

Examine how Sheffield City Council and Business Sheffield have intervened to support CADS amid financial difficulties, highlighting the role of local government in sustaining cultural spaces.

Target audience who would cover this Story potential 8/10 Local/community

Community Impact of CADS’ Reopening on Sheffield’s Arts Scene

Explore the impact of the reopening of the Arley Street venue on Sheffield's arts community, including potential benefits for local artists, musicians, and cultural groups.

Target audience who would cover this Story potential 7/10