Update expected ‘soon’ on plan to buy historic Heath Common golf house to make way for traveller site

Last year it was revealed that the local authority was considering spending more than £1m on the building.

The 125-year-old property on Heath Common could then be demolished once public money has been spent on its purchase.

The council faces strict deadlines to provide more permanent pitches for the local traveller community.

Purchasing the Old Golf House would allow the council to lift a restrictive covenant prohibiting development on nearby land.

It would mean an extension to the existing Heath Common traveller site could then go ahead, costing at least £5.8m.

Last October, the council insisted that “nothing has been finalised” but said it could not comment further as the project was “commercially sensitive”.

Parish councillors were told last month that more information about the plan could soon be forthcoming.

Julie Medforth and Armaan Khan, district councillors for Normanton ward, spoke briefly about the scheme at a meeting of Warmfield-cum-Heath Parish Council.

Minutes of the meeting, held on June 21, state: “District Coun Medford and district Coun Khan said they are feeling positive about the new traveller site but could not give any more information at this time but we should find out more information soon.”

The council has not made the financial details of the golf house purchase publicly available.

But it is understood an agreement was made to purchase the house for £475,000, plus stamp duty and “associated fees”.

The agreement included offering the property owners an interest-free “relocation loan” of £475,000, along with “reasonable moving costs” of £10,000.

Rightmove.co.uk figures suggested the market value of the building last autumn was in the region of £268,000.

According to Land Registry figures, it last sold for £210,000 in May 2019.

It was believed demolition of the property would cost around £100,000.

A sum of around £200,000 was expected to be required to build a new access road to the site.

The council has said it is legally obliged to accommodate travelling families.

The site at Heath Common is identified in the emerging Wakefield District Local Plan 2036, a document which is in the process of being finalised.

Residents groups, including Heath Residents’ Association, have opposed the plans and have been critical of spiralling costs.

Heath Common was the original home of Wakefield Golf Club, which opened in 1892.

The clubhouse building opened in October 1897.

Wakefield Golf Club relocated to Woodthorpe in 1911 but the original clubhouse building remains as a residential property.