Neighbours battle plans to turn former Sheffield GP surgery into new Cuban bar and dance studio

Lois Bayliss, the applicant, with agent David Britton, of RDB Consultants and Designs, asked Sheffield Council if she could turn Ivy House, 219 Handsworth Road, into the venture.

If approved, the site would operate as a dance studio on the ground floor during the week and as a Cuban bar at the weekends.

It would also be used as a community space serving food and drink and as a gym.

But four neighbours objected, raising concern about noise, privacy and parking.

A university lecturer who has lived on Hall Road for 16 years said privacy was partly what drew them to the area but now this was at risk of being lost.

They are already disturbed by the noise of a loud instructor and music playing from the nearby dance studio and they fear a new Cuban bar and gym would exacerbate this, and potentially disturb local wildlife too.

They added: “While it might not be important to others, my mental health is also of concern to me. The majority of my working colleagues live on the other side of Sheffield, near the university, so coming home to Handsworth helps me to have peace and quiet away from a very busy and noisy environment of the university in Sheffield.”

A doctor living on Hall Road was another objector.

They said: “Our homes and gardens for most people providing that happy place and sanctuary from the stresses of daily life.

“I appreciate the need for commerce but this is such a large scale development already and that a change of use to what is proposed will have a significantly negative impact on lots of hard working families and retirees who just want to enjoy the place that they have worked hard to pay for whether in rent or mortgage payments.

“I respectfully urge you to do the right thing, give the little people a voice, and, as I am sure you try to do as much as possible given the emotive nature of these things, put yourselves in our position to come to your decision.”

The full plans can be found here: https://planningapps.sheffield.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=summary&keyVal=RPV99QNY0NH00