Graduation January 2012 - Venue & Parking Information
Venue
Graduation ceremonies are held on central campus in Convocation Hall, The Octagon Centre.
The Octagon Centre has wheelchair access, disabled toilet facilities and a lift. Wheelchair users and guests with mobility problems will be allocated special seating providing the Events Team are advised of requirements when you register for graduation.
If you require the loan of a wheelchair for the day, your local British Red Cross Association should be able to assist. Visit their website at: www.redcross.org.uk/Where-we-work/In-the-UK
Special access to the platform can be arranged for graduands who are wheelchair users, however, we do need to be notified of this arrangement well in advance of the ceremony. Please notify us of any special seating arrangements for yourself or your guests when you register for graduation. Please note that suitable special arrangements may not be possible if we do not receive requirements well in advance of your ceremony. However, every effort will be made.
Directions: www.shef.ac.uk/visitors/mapsandtravel/car.html
Maps and Travel Advice: www.shef.ac.uk/visitors/mapsandtravel
Convocation Hall, Octagon Centre
Western Bank
Sheffield
S10 2TN
Parking
We advise that your guests do not bring a car to the Octagon Centre. Parking is scarce and graduation ceremonies take place on working days for University staff and others in the area. Limited parking is available on the University's Durham Road car park but when parking on the roads in the vicinity, please remember that urban clearway restrictions apply to most roads, i.e. no parking before 9.30 am and after 4.30 pm. The remainder tend to have double yellow lines i.e. no parking at all. Traffic police patrol the area regularly. Sufficient parking space cannot be guaranteed so leave plenty of time if you must bring a car.
The University hosts several ceremonies each day and guests are asked to be considerate by restricting parking to a period commensurate with their attendance at a ceremony.
Due to the limited amount of space available, we regret that we are unable to allocate parking spaces for disabled graduands or guests. If your guests have mobility problems, we would recommend that these guests are dropped off at the Octagon Centre prior to parking the car. Campus Wardens on duty will assist blue badge holders if requested.
Additional Parking
Durham Road has a small capacity and tends to fill up very quickly. Additional parking is available on the end of campus at the QPark Rockingham site. This is a 530 space long stay off street car park, approximately half a mile from the Octagon Centre. We have negotiated a discounted rate of 50% off the advertised price for University visitors. To claim this discount, vouchers will be available from the Octagon Centre on the day of the ceremony. You must present the voucher on your return to the car park to collect your car.
Details of the car park can be found on the QPark web site
Park & Ride
Supertram park and ride is a very convenient way to travel by car to the University without having to negotiate the heavy traffic in the city centre and University area and eliminating the stress of finding somewhere to park. Further information can be found at www.shef.ac.uk/visitors/mapsandtravel/parkandride.html
Traffic
Sheffield is a large city and, like most cities in the UK, does experience heavy traffic, especially at peak times. We would advise anyone travelling by car to ensure they take this in to consideration when planning their journey and to always allow extra travel time.
We would also advise to check with the Highways Agency www.highways.gov.uk/ for advice regarding traffic disruption on motorways and trunk roads, prior to setting off.