Tinsley Park Golf Course, Sheffield: Investigation into state of listed building at Yorkshire golf club

High Hazels House at Tinsley Park Golf Course will undergo detailed structural surveys and investigative work that could take up to 18 months.

Initial assessments that have identified issues particularly concerning the roof and timber framework, said a report to Sheffield City Council’s charity trustee sub-committee on June 23.

Part of the park’s car park will be used to house the temporary facilities, including toilets, for golf club staff and users so that it can continue to operate.

High Hazels Park is owned on behalf of the city by a charitable trust, of which the council is sole trustee. The committee oversees all decisions about the charitable trusts under the council’s control, so has to approve the siting of buildings in the car park.

Tammy Barrass, council head of sport, leisure and major events, told the meeting: “This is about recognising that we need to bring buildings up to a good standard. Part of that is looking at High Hazels House and getting it up to a good standard.”

She said the cost of the installation is £323,000 and the temporary buildings will be bought by the council and reused afterwards.

Coun Fran Belbin said she was mindful about issues such as the Rose Garden Cafe in Graves Park when looking at structural problems in buildings. The cafe in Graves Park was closed suddenly by the council and at one point faced demolition over structural issues that were initially thought to pose a danger to the public.

“We do not want another situation like the Rose Garden Cafe, actually,” said Coun Belbin. She asked if there was a programme of structural investigations on the building and others in similar situations.

Ms Barrass said the building had been assessed before the golf club was handed to Sheffield City Trust to operate and also around the takeover of the club operation by SLM Community Leisure Charitable Trust (Everyone Active).

Coun Douglas Johnson said the project is quite a substantial investment that could run into millions. He asked when it was actually decided as he couldn’t find anything by looking back at previous committee reports.

Ms Barrass said the investment was agreed as part of a council general leisure strategy stretching over 30 years. She said that plan includes backlog maintenance of a number of sites and new-build leisure facilities in the city.

The strategy budget is £117 million and capital spending was agreed by the finance committee, said director of leisure, parks and libraries Lisa Firth.

Committee chair Coun Richard Williams said the leisure strategy had been agreed by the strategy and resources committee. He told Coun Johnson: “We are merely being asked if we are happy to site containers in our car park on charity land on a short-term basis.”

Coun Kurtis Crossland said: “The actual spend itself in terms of the charity sub-committee is kind of irrelevant because it’s a Sheffield City Council aspect, just as we wouldn’t have the details of what pool pumps they use in Ponds Forge.”

He said they should be grateful to have maintenance work done on one of their charitable assets. “I think we probably do have to hold people’s feet to the fire that it all goes to plan and that we do get what we’re agreeing to today, but that’s for a future meeting rather than today.”

Coun Johnson, who voted against the decision, said he did not understand why an outsourced provider was not required to pay for the work. He added: “This committee last November was told that in respect of this property and the contract that Everyone Active would be responsible to ensure and maintain this facility, so that’s the whole of the golf course, the golf club and everything.”

He asked if the committee had been misled last year. Council legal advisor and deputy monitoring officer Sherrie Grant said that landlords cannot derogate all their responsibilities to a leaseholder.

Ms Firth said that the capital spending is to bring the building up to a decent standard, which the council must do before handing the responsibility for maintenance over to an outside provider under the terms of the lease.