Councillor demands action yet again over eyesore Sheffield pub

Last April Stocksbridge councillor Jack Clarkson asked planning officers to investigate the old Middlewood Tavern pub, which has stood derelict and vandalised for several years with rubble piled in the former car park.

The pub is on Middlewood Road, which is the main route from the city centre and Hillsborough to Oughtibridge and Stocksbridge.

Officers said they would look into it but almost a year on, there is still no progress on the site.

Coun Clarkson raised it yet again at a recent planning meeting and said it was the fourth time he had asked for officers to report back.

He said: “No action is being taken whatsoever and I mention this month after month. Nothing seems to be happening and I keep asking if we can have a proper look at this.

“The site is not being improved and it is a real eyesore. There must be a thousand bags of stone there.”

The pub closed for a long time following the devastating floods of 2007 when the road towards Oughtibridge collapsed. The pub was cut off from passing trade, never recovered and closed shortly after.

In 2016 planning permission was granted to demolish a side extension and alter the old pub to create a new pub and restaurant with a function room, outdoor seating and car parking.

The plans said: “The restored pub will be aimed firmly at families, with a good-sized restaurant where previously there was only a drinking area, and also a dedicated beer garden and play area.”

But since then no work has taken place on the site and the building has become derelict.