Hopes of Rotherham green belt reprieve

The new government has announced that it will scrap Regional Spatial Strategies, which set the targets for new homes and retain Green Belt areas.

Preparations for Rotherham’s own version of the housing masterplan caused an outcry last year when it emerged that 24,000 new houses could be built, including more than 3,000 on the borough’s green belt.

Campaigner Michael Sylvester, of Wingfield, said: “This commitment means that Labour's plans to release large areas of Green Belt for building, particularly the Bassingthorpe wedge between Masbrough, Greasbrough and Rawmarsh, are dead in the water.”