New plans for controversial housing site could see numbers increase by 40 per cent

Detailed plans for a bitterly contested housing development in a Barnsley village have now been submitted, with an additional application which would see numbers of homes increase by around 40 per cent if approved.
Controversy: The site off New Smithy Drive which won planning permission on appealControversy: The site off New Smithy Drive which won planning permission on appeal
Controversy: The site off New Smithy Drive which won planning permission on appeal

Plans for new homes on a field off New Smithy Drive in Thurlstone, near Penistone, were rejected by Barnsley Council following fierce opposition in the area when the proposal was first made, but the scheme was later allowed by a planning inspector following an appeal.

That was on the grounds that Barnsley Council did not have enough land earmarked for housing at the time, which was before its now-adopted Local Plan – setting out development sites to carry the town’s needs through to the 2030s – was finalised.

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Planning permission was for 21 homes, leaving details to be decided later and an application to clarify those has now been made to Barnsley Council, alongside a second application which would see another nine new homes go up.

If approved, the developer has confirmed the estate would be constructed in one phase, effectively rolling the two schemes into one.

Coun Dave Griffin represents the area on Barnsley Council and spoke on behalf of residents who unsuccessfully fought the original application, with a range of concerns including access to the site via New Smithy Drive.

He said: “Naturally, residents are shocked by the latest news.

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“We had accepted it when the Government overturned the local democratic planning decision, but now 40 per cent more homes look to be coming.

“I was against the original planning application. I had spoken to people living below the site and they were extremely worried about how it would affect their properties. This is not a good place to squash in more houses and put more traffic onto the narrow streets of Thurlstone.

“As the local representative for Thurlstone on the planning board, I will take a lot of persuading that the increased size of this development can be accommodated,” he said.