Traffic concerns over plans to turn former Sheffield working men’s club into five-storey retirement block

Woodseats Working Men’s Club, at The Dale in Woodseats, was a thriving community hub in its heyday but it closed down for good after more than 90 years.

Housing 21, a leading not for profit provider of retirement homes, now wants to turn the site into 55 retirement apartments for people aged over 55 years old, with communal areas and landscaping. The layout was designed to encourage more social interaction between neighbours.

The provider said it would be all affordable housing comprising a mix of one and two bed apartments.

It previously obtained planning permission to demolish the club and build a five storey building with 20 flats and six houses but said these new plans were an improvement.

However, one objector, who lives on the Dale, said: “We have concerns about the impact on traffic.

“The Dale is very busy with school traffic, and is also often used as a ‘rat run’ at other busy times. This can result in traffic backing up to the extent that we are not able to exit our drive. It would seem likely that this situation would be significantly aggravated by the addition of 55 more apartments.”

They suggested widening the junction of the Dale and Chesterfield Road so people turning left did not have to wait and extending double yellow lines to stop delivery lorries getting stuck going up the Dale.

To view the plans in full or comment, visit the council’s planning portal here.