Plans to invest more than £1m in Hoyland club closed for years
A WORKING men’s club disused for almost six years could be brought back to use as ‘supported living’ accommodation for nine people.
Hoyland Nether WMC, on Broad Street, closed in March 2020, as the Covid-19 pandemic began to bite and never re-opened.
The premises had been on the market for several years before being sold to a London-based firm which has come up with a plan to turn the building into nine apartments for specialised supported living.
They are behind a similar scheme, utilising an old club building, in Hull, which is nearing completion.
A conversion of the Broad Street building would need planning consent from Barnsley Council and an application for that has now been made.
The company would be looking to invest more than £1m into the project, working with the Lifeways care provider.
The proposal has won support from within Barnsley Council, with those responsible for adult social care stating in a letter the social work team support the planned development.
The letter states: “We have worked withLifeways who are o our Community Support Framework and know that they have partnered with Golden Lane Housing for this development.
“GLH are a compliant housing provider and will be the landlord.
“We understand there will be a maximum of nine tenancies across the service, all of which are single person apartments.
“Two of these will be accessible for people with mobility needs.”
The development would have staff on duty around the clock, with sleeping facilities for them being part of the plan.
The application explains the demise of the club, stating: “The reason for closure was due to the onset of COVID and the pandemic. Due to lockdown all pubs, clubs and places of entertainment were forced to close.
“The Hoyland Club like many other social clubs up and down the country closed down and many never re-opened and the main reason why this happened is because social clubs were (and are) dependant on a regular ‘core’ of patrols with became fragmented and destroyed, never to return back to normal.”
The application points out other licensed premises trade in the area, including the Prospect Tavern, a short distance away.