THERE are plans to overhaul an “outdated” golf clubhouse in a bid to boost the business which is “struggling to make a profit”.

The details were revealed in a planning application lodged by The Manor, on Bradford Road, Drighlington.

Documents submitted as part of the application acknowledge the club is situated on greenbelt land so development should be restricted “to only what is essential”.

To this end, the proposal would see the vacant old pro shop be reconfigured and re-used.

The number of unused lockers, changing rooms and showers would be reduced, while the lower ground floor access would be extended to an upgraded outdoor terrace area.

“This area will be the improved café bar to service the golfers,” says the application.

“The upper ground floor will be reconfigured and two small extensions will be required, one to square off the function room to make it more useable as a sub-divided space and the other, for additional storage to one of the spaces.

“A balcony will then be formed on the back of the building, accessed from upper ground level via larger bi-fold doors which will create a more appealing function space for weddings and events and also create the required additional outdoor space required from each event space.”

It says: “Since the building opened in 1996, it has never had any building work, extensions or alterations carried out.

“As such we now have a building which is not fit for purpose, has large areas of redundant space and areas which do not function as required.”

It says the building is in “urgent need of updating to ensure it meets the expectations of today’s customers and members”.

In assessing the financial justification, it adds: “The requirements for the works are justified when looking at the financials for the clubhouse building.”

The application says that from 2016 to 2020, sales/turnover remained similar, but during that period net profit declined from 9.2 per cent in 2016 to 1.9 per cent in 2020.

It adds that 2019 made a loss of -5.7 per cent.

“A typical business of this nature would be expecting to make a minimum profit of between 15-30 per cent to be sustainable,” it says.

“It can be seen this is well below expected and why the change is required for the business to remain viable.”

“The outdated clubhouse is having a detrimental financial effect on the business which is struggling to make a profit,” says the application.

“To remain a viable business, the building needs to adapt to allow it to function properly and support both the golfing and events business.”