Portland Loo
When Portland commissioned the design of the loos, it retained the intellectual property rights to the design, and would receive a royalty from the manufacturer, for each loo it sold. Press reports described this arrangement as a source of funds, for the city.
However, in 2014, a citizen group sued the city, asserting the city had spent over $600,000 to promote the loos, without proper authorization. As a consequence the design was sold to Madden, the manufacturer.
Portland Works
Portland Works is one of very few Sheffield metal trades buildings to have a continuous history of manufacturing since its construction, in 1877. For many years it was the home of R. F. Mosley's cutlery business. In 2009, a planning application was submitted for Portland Works to be converted into residential flats. As a result of this, concerned tenants and supporters set up a campaign to save Portland Works and offer an alternative future based on the existing mix of tenants. The 'Save Portland Works' campaign group became a Community Benefit Society in 2011, operating on co-operative principles. The Portland Works website outlines the campaign, through which almost £500,000 was eventually raised, with help from the Architectural Heritage Fund website to buy the works outright in early 2013.