Sports club set to be demolished for housing

The club is to be bulldozed to make way for housing.

The planning committee at Wakefield Council unanimously voted to approve the demolition of the facilities at West Yorkshire Sports and Social Club in Sandal and sell the council-owned land to developer, Persimmon Homes.

The blueprints for Sandal Hall Close have been on the drawing board since June 2013 and were approved 18 months later, although legal issues forced it to be shelved.

An application was also passed in 2014 to move the club to a purpose-built facility off Shay Lane in Walton just over a mile away, complete with new club house and pavilion, tennis courts, cricket, football and rugby pitches and floodlighting.

Members of Sandal Community Association objecting to the plans back in 2014.

However, the proposed move was met with fierce objections with 80 letters submitted to the council, including one from ward member, Councillor Nadeem Ahmed.

A statement read out at yesterday’s planning meeting on behalf of resident Stephen Wilkinson said: “It’s the main green space in Sandal, it’s a great local community resource and it would be a shame to move it out of Sandal.

“We need these green spaces for future generations.”

Providing the sale of the land is approved by the council’s cabinet, under the necessary Section 106 agreement more than £1.1 million worth of contributions will be sought from the developer to cover traffic schemes, green space, leisure, sport and cultural projects and education.