Studios behind chart-topping bands silenced

OVER the last two decades, Sheffield’s Adrenalin Studios has worked with chart-topping musicians such as Simply Red, Rosie Gaines and Bradford rock act Terrorvision.

However, 20 years of hard work and hundreds of thousands of pounds-worth of investment is set to be lost by recording studio owner Mark Cartawick later this month, when he is forced out of the building in Matilda Street by regional development agency Yorkshire Forward.

Yorkshire Forward owns the building – the former Sydney Works – in which Mr Cartawick is now the only tenant, and has given him until September 23 to pack up and leave.

The move will affect not only Adrenalin Studios, but music production students who are gaining work experience there.

Mr Cartawick, who has written countless letters to politicians including his MP Nick Clegg and Prime Minister David Cameron about his campaign to stay at Matilda Street, said: “This is death on the tracks. This is a 20-year established business and I can’t believe this is happening.

“So far I’ve spent 25,000 trying to fight this and now I’m bankrupt. I’ve got three weeks to get out and nowhere to go, no truck to move our equipment with and no money to pay people to undertake the move.

“On top of that, there are 20 tons of equipment and miles of wiring to be decoupled – the process will take weeks to undertake.”

Adrenalin Studios moved into Sydney Works in 1989, when the building was owned by Sheffield Council and run by Yorkshire Art Space.

Problems began eight years later when Yorkshire Art Space moved out and Sheffield Council tried to sell the building.

Although Mr Cartawick put in an offer – with a view to expanding his business with a film and photography studio and a radio station – this offer was turned down, and Sydney Works was instead sold to Sheffield Hallam University in 1998.

The university, which owns a large number of buildings in the immediate area including the former National Centre for Popular Music, then sold the building to Yorkshire Forward in 2005. Mr Cartawick said: “We moved here in 1989 and it took two years and 200,000 for us to build the studio.

“Yorkshire Art Space said that, although they couldn’t give us a long lease, nobody had ever been thrown out of the building and we would be safe there. Some businesses had been there 30 years.

“I’ve not paid my rent, under protest, since Yorkshire Forward bought the building because they boarded up the windows, doors and fire escapes and covered the building in razor wire.

“Ideally I’d like to buy the building as I originally wanted to. This is all like a crazy dream.”

The dispute was due to go to court but, shortly before the hearing in May, Mr Cartawick agreed to move if Yorkshire Forward gave him a contribution towards his costs.

“Yorkshire Forward have admitted there are no plans for the building, so why can't a time extension be given to help us find premises and sort out our students?” he said.

David Custance, assistance director of urban renaissance and property at Yorkshire Forward, said that the regional development agency had been in discussions with Mr Cartawick for some time.

He said: “Yorkshire Forward acquired the site from Sheffield Hallam University in 2005 and has been in dialogue for a considerable length of time with Mr Cartawick with regards to the tenancy agreement held by Adrenalin Studios.

“Mr Cartawick, with the benefit of legal representation, has agreed to surrender any existing tenancy and vacate the property on September 23.”