Barnsley’s Penny Pie Park gyratory “is a pleasure to use” says councillor

Councillor Sharon Howard praised the new road during a discussion about a new “place-based investment plan”, which set out Barnsley Council’s “levelling-up” ambitions across the borough.

The gyratory at Dodworth opened to traffic on January 14.

The works were fiercely contested by objectors, who opposed the plans because of the loss of recreation land at Penny Pie Park.

BMBC were also criticised for approving an extra £3m for the scheme,but officers defended spending the extra cash, and told the meeting that a £2m grant from the Sheffield City Region would have to be returned if the project was not completed.

The council said the gyratory was needed to reduce journey times into the town centre which have almost trebled in less than two decades, from a morning rush hour average of ten minutes in 2000 to around 27 minutes today.

Councillor Howard compared the objections to the gyratory to objections made about the demolition and rebuilding of Barnsley Library during the cabinet meeting on January 26.

Coun Howard told the meeting: “As the leader of the council, you’re sitting there with a vision for the town you want to deliver, and if we think back to Barnsley Library…the state of that building and the campaign that went on to save that, because the new market was going to be a shambles, it wasn’t going to work, it would be horrible.

“Once it’s in situ it’s fantastic, it’s the bees knees.

“The gyratory system, we know the campaigns that’s gone off around that.

“Even though it’s not completed, some of the lanes aren’t even open, it was a lot quicker even with roads not being fully open.

“We weren’t stuck in a queue, and it was flowing nicely, and it was a pleasure to go round it.

“I think it’s always difficult when you’re going to do these things.”