Almost 50 homes in Darton set for green light

Barratt Homes has lodged the application for 48 houses on land off Coniston Avenue, which have been recommended for approval at the next meeting on Barnsley Council’s planning board on June 7.

If approved, the houses will be made up of a mix of detached, semi-detached and terraced houses with eight apartments located in two blocks.

Two of the two bed homes and eight of the one bed apartments will be allocated as affordable housing.

According to an officer report to councillors, 133 comments were received across two rounds of consultation during December 2021 and March 2022, “raising a variety of issues”.

Residents objected on the grounds of loss of greenspace, and say services such as doctors and dentists are “already stretched well beyond capacity”, and that the local schools are “full”.

Councillor Steve Hunt, Liberal democrat representative for Darton East has objected on the grounds of the scale of development, lack of infrastructure, loss of greenspace, overlooking, land instability, and also states that residents were “not aware the land was proposed as an allocation” in the local plan.

MORE: Concern over plans for 53 new homes in Barnsley

One resident commented: “We did not move to this house to be next to Council houses, as the neighbours we have all work for a living or are retired and peaceful residents.”

Another added: “‘Creating affordable homes”’is completely unacceptable in this area as Pennine View is a fully detached street of what are not “affordable homes” and this whole idea brings down the exclusivity of the street.”

Highway safety issues have also been raised, with one comment warning “the villages are already at near to gridlock”.

However, the officer report states that although the visual impact on existing residents who back onto the site is “accepted to be high,” the applicant has been asked to “reduce the number of units, break up larger blocks and provide some increased landscaping along these boundaries”.

It adds that the scheme has been has been reduced in number from 53 units to 48 units.

Green space will be provided on the site, with proposals to plant hedgerows and trees, provide bat and bird boxes, and allow for hedgehog gaps.

The biodiversity net gain on the site is “over and above the requirements of Local Planning Policies,” adds the report.

The development will generate 11 primary school place at £16,000 per pupil and eight secondary places at £16,000 per pupil, requiring a S106 contribution of £314,000.

Under a S106 agreement, £36,000 will be required towards sustainable travel, and £78,722 towards “youth and child facilities off site”.

“Resident concerns regarding past subsidence in the area has also been flagged to South Yorkshire Mining Advisory Service who have advised that this will be related to the historical deep coal mining activities in the wider area which has now ceased and as such the subsidence is no longer an issue,” adds the report.

A transport statement submitted by the applicant concludes that “no specific road safety concerns have been identified” based on a review of collision data over the last five years in the area.

“This level of traffic generated by the [original] 53 dwellings..has been assessed and will not result in a material or severe impact on the local highway network,” it adds.