Time to end uncertainty over West Yorkshire Sports and Social Club demolition says Wakefield councillor Nadeem Ahmed

The West Yorkshire Sports and Social Club in Sandal could be bulldozed to make way for 180 new homes on its greenbelt site, under plans conceived by Persimmon Homes.

The club faces the prospect of being moved to a new site, probably in nearby Walton, if the homes are approved.

Similar proposals have been approved twice before by Wakefield Council, but planning permission expired before any work was done on both occasions.

The proposals are now back for a third time, though the council has said it is talking to Persimmon to “identify” whether or not the application will proceed.

The sports and social club is run by trustees on a lease from the council, which owns the land.

However, it has been a year since the latest proposals were submitted and Wakefield South councillor Nadeem Ahmed says residents wanted answers.

He has also restated his belief that the application should be rejected.

Coun Ahmed said: “I’ve had dozens of texts and emails about this and I’ve come to the end of my tether on it. The council should either say that they are going to do it or not going to do it.

“There’s human rights cases that have been decided quicker than this.

“We’ve had enough development in Wakefield and we’ve nicked enough green belt land, especially around the eastern relief road.”

Coun Ahmed said he was “disappointed and angry” at the council’s “stalling” over the matter.

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Raising the issue in a Facebook post, he added: “On behalf of the residents of my ward I am demanding an answer on the future of the club – the leadership on the council must now provide this.”

Objectors claim the plans themselves are outdated, having been originally conceived in 2013 before the sprawling City Fields estate was built to the east of Wakefield.

They suggest, therefore, that the need for new housing is now far less pressing than it was then.

A total of 264 people have come out against the plans on the council’s planning portal, with three expressing support for the scheme.

Responding to Coun Ahmed’s comment, Glynn Humphries, the council’s service director for communities, said: “We are working with Persimmon to identify whether the current planning application will proceed.

“If it does not, then we will consider the future of the site further.”

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