Redbeck Motel, Wakefield: Plan to demolish famous cafe and motel set for approval

Wakefield Council officers said proposals to knock down the Redbeck Motel to make way for the development were acceptable.

Almost 200 residents have objected to the proposals, along with district and parish councillors, since the scheme was revealed in January last year.

Concerns have been raised over the loss of a “local treasure” and pressure development would put on local infrastructure.

Others said it would add to problems of congestion and road safety in nearby Crofton village.

Renowned for its breakfast special, the Redbeck was established in 1969.

It is open 24 hours a day and famous for not closing its doors for over five decades.

But documents submitted to the local authority said the business, on Doncaster Road, had become “unviable” and was about to close.

Yorkshire Choice Homes has applied for outline permission to flatten the premises to build housing across a 3.5 hectare greenbelt site.

Maureen Cummings, councillor for Crofton, Ryhill and Walton ward, said: “Doncaster Road is already a car park at peak hours. To add 90 homes with a possibility of 180 further vehicular movements at key times would cause a traffic nightmare.

“The schools, dentists and doctors in the area are already oversubscribed. The site is an environmental home to many creatures.”

Wakefield Civic Society described the building as having “literary significance” due to its links to the Red Riding novels by Yorkshire-born author David Peace.

The Redbeck is featured in the four-book series, set between 1974 and 1983, which have the Yorkshire Ripper murders as their background.

Society president Kevin Trickett said: “Redbeck figures strongly in the Red Riding Quartet by David Peace, later made into a three-part Channel 4 series.

“This association gives it a recent historical, literary significance and this is likely to increase in the future.

“The Redbeck cafe and motel is very clearly a local community asset and should not be demolished for that reason alone.”

The developer has offered to compile a “social history” of the business if the development goes ahead.

The record would feature memories of famous visitors to the Redbeck , including singers Tom Jones and Diana Ross and Shirley Bassey.

A heritage statement submitted on behalf of the applicant said it had close connections with the former Batley Variety Club and Wakefield Theatre Club during the 1970s and 1980s.

It said: “Customers during this period included Tom Jones, Jack Jones, Diana Ross, Danny La Rue, Shirley Bassey and The Three Degrees.

“The Redbeck has also featured as a location in the television serial Emmerdale and other dramas.

“It also has been connected with the local community through event sponsorships.”

A total of 193 people objected to the plan.

One resident said: “I’ve been going to the Redbeck for over 40 years. It’s the best food in the area. Leave it alone. It’s a national treasure.”

Another said: “The Redbeck is a historical part of our heritage. It’s been there for years and is dearly loved by the people of Wakefield.”

Five people comment in support of the development, with one describing the project as “a good investment for the owner and they should be allowed to sell up if they wish

Another said: “The whole site is an eyesore and new houses will benefit the area.

“The cafe isn’t really busy and will end up being derelict with problems associated with that.”

Recommending approval, an officer’s report said the proposals complied with local and national planning policies.

The officer said: “There are considered to be no technical reasons to withhold planning permission.

“In weighing together all relevant factors, the proposal is considered, on balance, to constitute sustainable development.

“Officers consider that the benefits associated with the proposal clearly outweigh those identified harms to demonstrate very special circumstances necessary to allow such a development in the green belt.”

The report recommended a condition be attached to any planning consent that no demolition work should take place before “cultural historic aspects” of the building are recorded.

The council’s planning and highways committee will consider the proposal at a meeting at Wakefield Town Hall on September 18.