Council planning officers have recommended approving plans to convert the top floor and part of the first floor of The Jubilee pub on Balfour Street into three flats.

The recommendation, which has dismayed campaigners hoping to restore the empty pub to its former glory, is the latest twist in a long-running battle for the pub's future which dates back to 2016.

That's when The Jubilee, formerly owned by Enterprise Inns, was closed and sold to Wakefield-based developer Tri-Core.

The Jubilee has stood empty and boarded up since 2016, and locals say it is a magnet for troublemakers. Firefighters say they believe a fire at the pub on March 13 was started deliberately.

Tri-Core initially wanted to convert the whole building into five flats.

Locals succeeded in getting the pub declared an 'Asset of Community Value'. But Tri-Core then applied to turn the top two floors of the pub into four flats, leaving the ground floor as a pub.

That was rejected by planners in 2018. Tri-Core appealed, prompting more than 800 people to sign a petition to save the pub. They feared the plans would be a 'death knell' , and that the small pub that remained would disappear if it was not making enough money.

Tri-Core lost its appeal, but submitted fresh plans last summer. These have now been revised, so that there would be three flats on the top and first floor, leaving a pub on the ground floor with a function room on part of the first floor.

It is these plans that are recommended for approval when planners meet on Tuesday.

The Jubilee Community Pub Campaign is dismayed by the recommendation. "It is such a shame," said the campaign's Lizzy Whynes.

"The Jubilee has the potential to be a hub of community activity within the Leeman Road area. There are a lot of ‘ifs’ and ‘maybes’ at the moment but if we were successful, we want to make this venue more than just a pub and be a place that aids and enhances the neighbourhood.

"We want it to be a beacon of life and activity - a place for food and drink, a place to socialise, a space for artists or a place to hold community events."

Labour ward councillor Kallum Taylor, who supports locals' efforts to save the pub, said he still hoped planners would overturn the recommendation and 'give serious attention to the emphatic case for protecting the whole of this asset so that its huge potential to serve local people can be realised'.

"The campaign to “save” the Jubilee is actually about keeping the entire building as a public amenity and maximising its huge potential for their benefit," he said.

"Once it’s gone, it’s gone - and this would harm the community. If even a partial change of use for just some flats was allowed it will be close to impossible to reverse that change, as the impact on its value will take it out of reach of anyone wanting to run the building to benefit the community."

Dominic Woodward of Tri-Core said: "The application has been amended as per the inspectors comments at the recent appeal hearing.

"The planning case officer has looked at all the information provided and recommended the application for approval. We look forward to bringing the building back into use."

The Jubilee originally opened in 1897 and was named for Queen Victoria’s diamond jubilee.