THERE were scenes of jubilation outside Barnsley Magistrates’ Court 25 years ago this week when licensing justices gave the go-ahead to turn the former Co-op
building on Wellington Street into a ‘spectacular’ new £2m night-club.
For more than a century it had been considered the place to shop in town. Many will recall it as the Co-op’s toy department where, every year, excited children would queue with mums and dads to meet Santa in his grotto at Christmas. It closed in the 1980s.
In 1993 the plan was to turn the imposing Victorian grade II listed building into a ’high class’ venue which it was anticipated would be aimed at a clientele in the 25-plus age group.
Magistrates had refused to grant a justices on-licence to the applicant Martin Brook, of Hoylandswaine, at the same court just three months earlier.
But after licensing chairman James Hill announced the court’s approval, a delighted Mr Brook told the gathered press: “I think this is one of the most exciting projects to hit Barnsley in the last ten years.
“This is a listed building which we are going to restore and the project will create 90 full and part-time jobs.
“This is a Victorian building which should not be allowed to go to rack and ruin. We want to preserve it and we are hoping it will encourage others to come forward to trade in the area which is in desperate need of revitalisation.”
Counsel for the applicant Richard Beckett said: “The club will bring more life to this area of Barnsley which is badly in need of revitalisation.”
The project did go ahead, and Club Hedonism was successful for many years.
The ground floor later became Chicago Rock Cafe which was also a popular haunt for revellers through the early part of the millennium.
The approval back in 1993 did preserve a historic building - as the applicants had argued it would - for the best part of a quarter of a century.
Two years ago the building seemed destined for another transformation into a
‘Nando’s’ style restaurant and refurbishment work was already underway.
But in August 2016 a devastating fire ripped through the building. At the height of the blaze there were eight fire engines and more than 30 fire fighters at the scene.
As a result, the building had to be demolished.
Owners of the site have now mooted plans for a hotel, bar and restaurant on the site but say they have been advised to wait until 2020 when the regeneration work in the town centre is complete.
