Homes plan for business park sold by council

The Broad Lane centre in South Elmsall has stood empty for several years after officials at County Hall took the decision in the summer of 2014 to offload the land.

A planning application has now been submitted to Wakefield Council’s planning department from Otley-based Prospect Estates Ltd to build 34 homes on the site.

MORE: This is how many cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed in each area of Wakefield, Pontefract and CastlefordThe brief plans do not give any indication as to the size of each home but the blueprints shows a mix of four different properties that are either 1.5 or two storey properties and each with private gardens.

A sketch included with the plans shows a cul-de-sac layout with a blend of semi-detached and terraced homes.

Access to the street would be from Westfield Lane, opposite the cricket pitch on the road that also leads to Frickley Athletic Football Club.

The application suggests there would be 61 parking spaces created on the site.

The former single-storey building was once a school but was converted into a business centre.

MORE: Wakefield family to raffle off land on Greek island of Crete - with tickets for just £2However, in 2014 Wakefield Council put the site up for a sale with a starting price of £150,000, despite the centre generating an annual income of more than £46,000.

The council said at the time that the urgent and costly repairs required to keep the centre open had forced them into taking the decision.

This, coupled with austerity measures that was forcing the council to bridge a £61 million budget deficit, was forcing them to take the thought decision.

They also said they were unable to attract enough businesses to the centre which was only partially occupied.

The companies that had been at the centre said they were told about the decision just days before it was put on the market.

A decision on the homes will be made at a later date.