Former working men's club could be demolished

Plans have been submitted to demolish a former working men's club in order to build a five-storey apartment and retail block on the site.

Create Properties has applied to City of Doncaster council for permission to knock down Wheatley Working Men's Club in Morley Road, Doncaster.

The application includes plans for 11 apartments, four retail units and community space, complete with a function room and bar to "mitigate the loss of the WMC as a local asset".

Four objections have been submitted citing concerns over the height of the proposed building, with one resident saying it would "overshadow" surrounding properties.

Concerns were also raised by South Yorkshire Police whose designing out crime officer, Paul Setterfield, warned that members of the public who used the community space could also access the lobby to the two first floor apartments and vice versa.

"Such developments can suffer adversely from anti-social behaviour or criminality due to unrestricted access to all areas and floors of the building," he said.

"Therefore, it is advisable that measures are implemented to prevent unlawful free movement throughout the building using an access control system."

The Lead Local Flooding Authority in Doncaster has also objected to the plans, saying it required important drainage information to be provided.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, while the site is located in flood zone one, the least at risk of flooding, the authority still requires relevant information.

The developers application said they aimed to create "high-quality" residential apartments and commercial units that "regenerate a disused site" and "contribute positively to the local area".

A decision on the application is due March 2026.

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