Three new warehouses approved for Dearne Valley Parkway despite traffic objections

Applicant Graham Gregory Projects have been granted permission to build three warehouse units totalling 11,585 sqm floorspace off the Rockingham Roundabout.

The site is part of the Hoyland North Masterplan, adopted by Barnsley Council in 2019, which sets aside 37 hectares of land for employment use to the north of Hoyland’s urban area.

Planning documents drawn up by the applicant state that the site has been designed around a new access road which extends from the existing spuroff the Sheffield Road roundabout into the site.

Applicants add that the scheme ” lead to private sector investment being secured, providing premises for potential inward investors and expanding local companies and contributing to investment for Barnsley.

Rockingham Councillor David White, who voted against the plans, told the meeting that Hoyland is “becoming synonymous with warehousing”, adding that “developers dangle employment” as a reason to build warehouses, but that there are “not enough locals to to fulfill local jobs already”.

Coun White added that he hears from residents “almost daily” about the “gridlocked” Birdwell roundabout.

“This will only serve to grind the road network to a halt,” he added.

“Can this council afford yet another multi-million pound development of Birdwell Roundabout?”

Joe Jenkinson, head of planning at BMBC, added that the signals at the roundabout had not been “fully operational” due to an “operational issue”, that was expected to be resolved.

Mr Jenkinson added that “building will only continue if the market remains strong”.