Controversial South Yorkshire gyratory scheme will cost an extra £3m to complete as costs spiral

Barnsley Council says it needs £3m extra cash to finish the controversial gyratory through Penny Pie Park, bringing the total cost to £7.448m.

Councillor Robert Frost told yesterday's cabinet meeting that of the £4.3m originally allocated for the scheme, £1.4m remains, which is not enough to finish the works.

Construction is currently under way on the gyratory through Penny Pie Park, which will ease traffic congestion between the town centre and Junction 37 of the M1.

Costs have spiralled due to the installation of a new children's play area, relocation of the park's equipment, Pogmoor Recreation Ground improvements, security, and noise insulation for 56 nearby properties.

The cost of security measures including legal fees, security guards and security fencing is estimated to rise to £297,000 by the end of the scheme.

Landscaping costs were originally estimated £200,00, but the total now stands at £704,014.

Councillor Jake Lodge, Independent councillor for Worsbrough said the spiralling costs should be the "nail in the coffin" of the project.

"Where's the money going to come from? It's probably going to come from the reserves that we hold," Councillor Lodge said.

"They should not be used for schemes like this in the middle of a health crisis. I can't believe it went through cabinet."

Councillor Lodge added that the cash, especially the extra £105,000 on top of the £45,000 budgeted for fencing- would be put to much better use to help people in the borough who are experiencing hardship .

"When people are living in poverty or losing their jobs and accessing food banks, cabinet wants to spend an extra £3 million on a pet project?

"They should have listened to residents initially when they submitted their objections.

A council spokesperson said: “Short-term budget adjustments will provide successful delivery of the scheme, which is vital for our longer-term vision for the borough up to 2030 and beyond. We need to reduce traffic congestion in this area, provide better connectivity for our residents, improve access to our growing town centre, and help to support wider business growth."

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