Widespread opposition to housing plan for farm development site

A decision on whether to approve the scheme, at Glebe Farm in Silkstone, will be made by members on the planning board at Barnsley Council, at the request of Coun Robert Barnard rather than being left to the council’s officials.

They are recommending the application is approved, as it follows on from ‘outline’ permission already granted for the site, off Barnsley Road, which established the principal that the site could be developed.

But Coun Barnard, Silkstone Parish Council and several neighbours have raised concerns about the detail of the current scheme.

His concerns include the size of the proposed buildings and the “overbearing impact” that could create, the development could cause highway safety problems and that the style of the buildings would be out of keeping with existing buildings.

The parish council has raised objections on highway safety grounds, which they believe would be “severely compromised” by putting in a new junction and additional traffic on a section of road which already has entrances to a business and residential street, on a stretch of road “notorious for the speed of vehicles at this point”.

They also have concerns that the historic waggon way, the remains of a primitive railway which runs alongside the site could be damaged during construction.

Neighbours claim trees on the site have already been felled and have raised a string of other concerns, including questions over whether distances on plans for the site are accurate.

Council officers believe the application in suitable for approval, however, and the authority’s highways department has raised no objections.

A decision is expected when the planning board meets on June 25.