A historic social club in Stapleford has been placed on the market with a view to potentially developing the land for housing. The club, which was purpose-built in the 1930s, sits on the corner of Moorbridge Lane and New Road.
The building has served the Stapleford community for decades and has been used for weddings, birthdays, youth clubs and auctions over the years. The listing suggests that it 'lends itself to re-development and they have approached a local architect who felt confident that it could accommodate semi-detached houses on the site.
Paul Sweeney, a director of Rober Ellis, which is overseeing the sale, shared that the club had been gifted to trustees from a local landowner and had been serving the community since 1946.
"There are fewer people looking to rent the space out and it's quite dated internally so could do with a refit. The only income the trustees got from it was when they let the property out but because it's falling into disrepair, there is less demand. They have had a small grant from the local authority which has literally kept it ticking over and insured with heating but that's about it," he explained.
"With a heavy heart, the trustees have decided its a big commitment for them to keep maintaining the building, especially with different income and demand coming in. So they have decided the proceeds of the sale will have to go to charities. While it's a loss as a local landmark and to the community, hopefully, the local community and charities will benefit from the sale."
When it comes to the future of the club, Paul said there have been a number of enquiries for different uses but nothing is confirmed yet.
"We've had a number of people look at the building so far including property developers looking to demolish it and build a number of residential houses on the site which will help with the local housing shortage. We've also had people looking at it to use it for storage facilities or to run small businesses in," he said.
"We are hoping to agree on a sale in the next four weeks with completion set for the new year. We'll watch this space in terms of what will happen with the building going forward."
Richard MacRae, Independent councillor for Stapleford North, recalled his memories of the historic club and said it was a shame that it hadn't become available sooner as it could have been brought back to life with the £21.1 million funding Stapleford received this year as part of a government scheme for urban development.
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"My first memories are back to the mid-1980s when myself and my friends would go down there to breakdance. Their parents would hire out the hall for us. There was only one record player at the time so when the song came to an end, unlike now when you have two turntables, we would have to stop to change the record. It's been used for lots of things over the years like that or even auctions for three nights a week but Covid came along and like a lot of things it hasn't recovered," he said.
"The building is just sitting there at the moment which is of no use to anyone. We should also say thank you to the people who have actually donated their time and ran it over the years too because that is important."
"When we shared on social media that it had been placed up for sale, people started to share their memories of the place. People have been to weddings, wakes or things like birthday parties there. There is a lady who used to run a youth club here for youngsters back in the day so it had many uses. It was a social club for the community and that is what it has been since day one."
The re-development of the social club could see it being used for housing. However, it will be down to whoever purchases the building to decide its future.
"I hope whoever purchases it brings it in to benefit the community. We do need community centres but at the same time, we need volunteers which is difficult but not everyone has the time. There is also a need for housing - but affordable housing where people can get on the ladder," Councillor MacRae said.
"There is also a need for small industrial units for light use. Now that people are working from home more and want to take that next step, they may not be ready for a big warehouse but a smaller unit they can use for those sorts of things. This will all come down to whoever purchases it."."
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