Former Highfields Social Club fire brings focus back to long running redevelopment plans
- Chris Shepherd
- 1 day ago
- 4 min read
A deliberate fire at the former Highfields Social Club in Stafford has brought fresh attention to the long running question of what will happen to the site.
Police say officers were called to Barnes Road, Highfields, at 10.45pm on Tuesday 10 March after reports of a fire at the old social club. The fire was put out by crews from Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service and nobody was hurt. Police say three boys, possibly in their teens, were seen running away from the scene and they are appealing for CCTV, doorbell or dashcam footage. The incident reference is 955 of 10 March.
But behind the latest fire story is a much bigger one. The former club has been the subject of repeated planning applications for years, with different versions of affordable housing schemes coming forward and then falling away.
What is the site?
Planning papers describe the Barnes Road site as a derelict former social club with a T shaped single storey brick building, a tarmac car park and a grassed section to the rear. The site sits next to Rising Brook, close to local allotments and open space, in a mainly residential part of Highfields. The current design statement says the land is owned by Highfields Social Club and covers around 0.29 hectares.
The same papers say the site has had small planning permissions going back decades, including toilet and office extensions in 1975 and 1976, plus a sign and a lightweight office extension in 1983.
The recent planning history
The main redevelopment story starts in 2019.
1) 2019 application
The first major recent application, 19/31353/FUL, proposed demolishing the existing club and replacing it with a new social club and 18 affordable homes. That scheme was later withdrawn after concerns were raised about noise from the club, possible flood risk and parking and servicing arrangements for the club.
2) 2020 application
A second application, 20/33494/FUL, then proposed 20 affordable houses and flats. That one was refused in March 2022. The refusal notice says the main reasons were the relationship between the apartment block and nearby plots, with the council saying it would lead to overlooking, loss of privacy, poor outlook for some future residents, and insufficient refuse and recycling storage.
3) 2022 application
A third scheme, 22/35957/FUL, proposed 18 affordable houses and flats. That application was only finally refused in April 2025. This time, the reasons were different. The refusal notice says the scheme would harm the integrity of the Cannock Chase Special Area of Conservation through extra recreational pressure, and that it did not make adequate provision for infrastructure, especially education and sport and leisure needs.
4) 2025 application
The current scheme, 25/40211/FUL, is now the live application and proposes demolishing the old club and building 14 affordable homes, made up of eight 3 bedroom homes and six 1 bedroom flats/apartments. The planning form also shows the existing club use would be lost entirely, with 630 square metres of former drinking establishment floorspace being demolished and no replacement social club proposed.
Who is behind the latest scheme?
The latest application has been submitted by TC Homes Contracting Ltd, which says it wants to turn the site into a “high quality but affordable” development that improves what it describes as the current derelict and poorly maintained use. The company’s design statement says the plan is for all 14 homes to be affordable rent.
The application also has backing from Homes Plus, which says it supports the proposed 14 affordable homes and has agreed terms with TC Homes Ltd so that if planning permission is granted, work could begin as soon as practical. Homes Plus describes itself as a locally based housing association with a strong presence in Stafford and says there is high demand for this type of housing in the area.
What is planned now?
The current version is smaller than the earlier proposals. Planning papers say the revised scheme has been cut back to 14 homes, with the apartment element reduced to six apartments, lower in height, and designed more like a short terrace in order to soften its impact on the area.
The developer says the layout includes:
seven 3 bedroom houses
one 3 bedroom bungalow
six 1 bedroom apartments
a central access from Barnes Road
parking within the site
private gardens or private outdoor space
landscaping and retained boundary greenery where possible.
The council’s conservation officer said the revised scheme would be an improvement compared with the existing derelict former social club building and unmanaged land, and said it was not considered harmful to the nearby Burton Manor Village Conservation Area.
What are the current sticking points?
The live application has not been decided yet, and planning papers show there are still issues to be worked through.
One of the biggest has been flood risk. The site sits next to Rising Brook, and documents say parts of the site are affected by flood mapping and surface water routes. The county council’s flood team initially objected, saying not enough information had been submitted to show an acceptable flood risk assessment and drainage strategy. The developer’s own statement says the site layout has been designed to keep an overland water route open towards Rising Brook rather than blocking it with buildings.
The scheme also carries infrastructure costs. Planning consultation responses say the development could trigger:
£42,992 towards secondary education provision
£12,818.03 in open space capital contributions, plus £1,666.77 for maintenance
further sports related contributions, including towards pool space, sports halls and artificial turf pitches.
Even so, not all responses have been negative. One neighbour comment in support says the current site is “a really eye sore” and that social housing is needed there.
What this means now
So at the moment, the former Highfields Social Club site is in a strange position.
The building has now been hit by a deliberate fire. The latest housing plan is still awaiting a decision. Previous schemes have either been withdrawn or refused. And while the current proposal is smaller and appears to have been reshaped to answer some earlier design concerns, it still has to clear the final planning hurdles before anything can happen.
For residents, the big question is whether this latest scheme is finally the one that gets over the line, or whether the site will remain in limbo for even longer.