Plan to convert former ex-servicemen’s club in Yorkshire Dales into flats

According to documents submitted to North Yorkshire Council, the club shut following the first covid lockdown in March 2020 and has remained vacant since then except for a couple of weeks in 2021. The building had been on the market last year for £250,000.

Across the country ex-serviceman’s clubs have closed down due to falling membership numbers. Documents add that Ingleton’s club was marketed as a venue without interest from prospective tenants.

Applicant Fairbuild Developments Ltd has asked to convert the bar area into three flats with either one or two bedrooms. There is already an existing one bedroom flat on the premises that will remain in use.

The village of Ingleton sits at the foot of Ingleborough, the second-highest peak in the Yorkshire Dales.

The applicant acknowledges the loss of one of the village’s social hubs but says it still has Top Club Ingleton WMC nearby and pubs including The Three Horseshoes, The Wheatsheaf and The Craven Heifer.

A design and access statement attached to the application said: “The proposals respond directly for the need to deliver, high-quality homes in line with the local and national planning policy, to promote the reuse of developed land providing much-needed homes in Ingleton. The site is located to direct amenities, including walks and parks in the immediate vicinity.”

Representations can be made regarding the application on North Yorkshire Council’s planning portal using the reference number ZA24/25666/FUL.