By John Baron
Plans to convert the former Farsley Liberal Club into six apartments have been submitted to Leeds City Council for consideration.
The club, based in the centre of Farsley, closed last year after 134 years. It had been struggling financially for several years.
Applicant G&H Property portfolio has submitted proposals to transform the building into one and two-bedroom apartments. Plans also include the demolition and rebuilding of the 1979 northern extension to the building.
A heritage statement by Bowman Riley Architects says the proposals include repairs to the historic fabric of the building, and the reinstatement of historic features.
It concludes: “Overall, the proposals cause no harm to the building and seek to enhance it. In addition, the future of the building will be assured through its ongoing use.”
There is no additional parking planned with the apartments. Developers say parking demand can be accommodated within existing on-street parking within 300 metres of the site.
The plans also include private and communal amenity space with bin and cycle storage.
As first reported by WLD, the club, in Old Road, called time on August 29 last year and now sits empty.
G&H Group, which is a £35 million mechanical, electrical and public health business in South Parade, Pudsey, bought the building in April 2019. Managing Director at G&H Group, Graham Kelly, appealed last September for potential tenants and new owners to come forward.
Farsley Liberal Club is a Victorian building, built in 1899.
The plans can be viewed in full here.
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The planning application for the Liberal Club on Old Road, Farsley, to be turned into apartments is not acceptable in it’s current form due to there being no provisions for car parking except street parking. This is not acceptable as both Town Street and Old Road are already congested with parked vehicles making two way traffic impossible at many times. Buses, in particular, are often delayed or inconvenienced by such parking.
I totally agree. If you read the planning application documents they have done some sort of weird and wonderful study which concludes that there is ample capacity with the existing on the road parking, which doesn’t tally with what I see on a daily basis. The Co-op on its own uses a considerable amount of the spaces never mind the other businesses/existing residents. And surely we are supposed to be providing for the future, so residents dedicated parking and electric charging bays are what is needed?
The planning application informs the single storey extension on the north side of the Liberal club is to be demolished. This would provide a wide enough space to access the back of the Liberal club where parking and charging points could be provided.
Hopefully they will change the plans then, at the moment the only mention is for on street parking, surprising if, as you say, there is room at the back for the required 9.5 parking spaces.