Rotherham planning permission: Plans approved for new homes close to Sheffield despite report indicating ‘fault line’ near site

The homes will be built on land behind Crane Drive and Welling Way, the latter of which will be widened to five and a half metres as part of the plans.

The developer, Campbell Homes, would be required to provide one three bedroom bungalow for affordable housing and £43,503 towards affordable housing provision under a section 106 legal agreement.

The development would be made up of eight two storey homes and two bungalows, all with two parking spaces.

The proposal includes highway works to the junction of Welling Way and Fallowsfield Way, to improve access to the new development.

Rob Morrell, planning officer for RMBC told a meeting of the planning board that the transportation department have assessed the site, ‘and have concluded the amount of traffic generated from the site will be negligible’.

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Six objections were submitted, on the grounds of increased traffic, a fault line running through the site, the development ‘disturbing any contamination on the land’, construction traffic and noise, and parking difficulties.

A report by council officers to the planning board states that the scheme is ‘near an existing fault line, running across the site from east to west’, and that further investigations will determine ground conditions.

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“An intrusive site investigation was undertaken between the January 13 and 14, 2020 to determine the presence of any geotechnical constraints across the site and to assess whether any significant soil and groundwater contamination associated with the past historical uses of the site and adjacent sites (Reservoirs and St Thomas Church) could impact on the proposed residential development of the site,” adds the report.

Gas monitoring detected carbon dioxide gas, but the report states that this was ‘at a concentration considered to be low risk’.

Mr Morrell told the meeting: “Residents were concerned that this development will disturb that fault line and cause structural damage”.

He added that the developer has proposed to build the homes on ‘reinforced raft foundations’, and that this has been assessed by the council and the coal authority, who ‘raised no objections’.

“However, they have recommended that further site investigations take place to determine the exact design of these foundations.”

Nigel Hancock, head of planning and building control told the meeting that fault lines ‘don’t preclude development’.

“There are fault lines all over the country and there are problems existing with fault lines. building regulations are there to ensure things are built safely,” Mr Hancock added.

The plans were approved following a vote.