WS5 gets reactions from key individuals upon confirmation that the social club’s days are over.
Here’s how The WS5 was one of the first online media sources to break the news
Darryl Magher, Chair of the Yew Tree Regeration Forum, reacted angrily to the closure
The council could have done something as could the councillors. The administrators didn’t give us an extension of a further 2 weeks which would have given us and a brewery a chance to put a proposal in. The whole thing stinks as the consultation, public/community engagement was not representative and very much conducted with the absolute minimum legal requirement.
Also in an article on Feb 20th the administrators had said it will take 2/3 months to sort out and assess all options for Calco Pubs Ltd yet they sold it to Gallifords without looking at all options that could have been available. It is a disgrace the way this area has been treated and continues to be treated.
More people have been disadvantaged through the loss of the club than will benefit from these 20 houses. Where are all of the kids going to go to school if they keep building on this area? Short term capital gain and loss of long term social value; they are destroying communities, not improving them. No doubt they’ll recite the mantra £75 million cuts etc etc …
What is the point of petitions when they take no notice, have you seen how many are discussed in the press and just appear to be brushed off? I’ve been to a number of committee meetings and quite frankly it astounds me the way some decisions are made. A complaint has been lodged with the council and the Ombudsman has been made aware of it . . . let’s see what the reply is.
The WS5 put those comments to local councillors and asked them to view its earlier blog posts. Councillor Ian Jones, cabinet member for jobs and economy, replied to our request.
Planning permission has been granted for residential development on the Yew Tree Sports and Social Club site. As far as the consultation process is concerned I can confirm that the statutory requirements have been met by the council. There had been no discussions regarding the development of a council-owned playing fields. It should be remembered that the plan was initially approved three years ago – with an application for a renewal of the permission being made in January.
Planning chair councillor Steve Frear also replied to requests put forward by this blog.
The club was running at a loss and unsustainable whereas the proposed residential development was acceptable in planning terms. The proposed scheme has received central government funding and it ensures an acceptable use of the site. With regard to the land to the rear, no discussions have taken place regarding the development of any council-owned playing fields.
A copy of the editor’s letter to the Express and Star is provided below
News of the closure of the once prosperous and vibrant Yew Tree Sports and Social Club is a hammer blow for the local community but for years it has displayed marks of a decline; for those who remember the club many years ago, it was once a place of popularity which soon became a venue in need of urgent repair, financial stability and the care and attention which the owners proudly boasted. It was announced not long ago how it would be demolished and a planning application was submitted for twenty houses as well as the possibility of selling land around the site for development; this is at the rear of the club, along the Brooklands and the playing fields. As soon became evident from speaking to residents, motives were thought to be political as well as social and in the interests of those powerful parties and individuals.
The degree of upset is understandable and such an act destroys the fabric of communities to a point where residents question the purpose of petitioning and trying to encourage their local authority to invest time and money; it was these locals that were in uproar due to a lack of community consultation and involvement, and who proposed that the club had a potential in terms of its transformation as an outdoor hub for the much larger Brooklands and Woodlands projects that I have become aware of as editor of the local blog for WS5.
It is not outside the parameters of acceptability to suggest that our communities would like to ‘have it out’ with developers and local authority members in line with their demand for social and communal responsibility. I had a reply from Councillor Ian Jones, cabinet member for jobs and economy, who said he could confirm that planning permission was granted for more residential development on the site; “as far as the consultation process is concerned I can confirm that the statutory requirements have been met by the council” was his reply – well, that surely answers the concerns of the community, but he does highlight an interesting point:
The plan was actually approved three years ago – with an application for a renewal of the permission being made in January. From research and analysis of the whole situation, I came to the conclusion that the club was running at a loss and was unsustainable, and I hope that acceptable use of the site is upheld by the authorities. Does short term capital gain and a loss of long term social value destroy communities? Whatever the discontent, we must remember that the council is a friend of our community and we must look forward to the future and to a prosperous bond between residents, the council and local business who regenerate our local economy – let’s anticipate a prosperous future for Yew Tree and how we can improve.
- Editor, The WS5
For those who wish to read more, click on the following blog posts:
Documents obtained by WS5 clarify club confusion
Notice: Social club petition is now online
WS5 gets your reaction to club closure
Our beloved social club is facing demolition
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He spends far too much time getting rid of stuff rather than looking at wider and longer lasting effects….of their decisions. Again they state statutory requirements have been met by council…i.e. the bare minimum. There hasn’t been proper representative consultation on this matter or others that involve the Yew Tree.
And he categorically denied that there had been discussions regarding the development of an council-owned playing fields. really how about discussions about the possible offloading of sites at an asset disposal committee meeting/
Galliford Try gave Sandwell Council £150,000 for the Yew Tree Sports and Social Club, as its landlord and Calco Pubs received £350,000. How does that fit with Sandwell Council receiving money for the property and was also the body that passed plans? Curiouser and curiouser….