Rotherham new homes target slashed

Rotherham Borough Council’s full cabinet will consider a recommendation that land for 12,750 homes be freed up from existing brownfield sites and the borough’s green belt.

The figure represents a massive cut from the original figure of 24,000 new homes that the Government suggested for the borough’s Local Development Framework.

Karl Battersby, the borough council’s strategic director for environment and development services, said: “We had a regional spacial strategy which was for 24,000 homes over 15 years and we’ve gone for 12,750.

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“That’s based on regional statistics for projected regional growth.

“We’re the only one of the local authorities in South Yorkshire that has gone with a local plan rather than the original regional strategy.

“That’s for two reasons, one because we think it’s sensible for Rotherham—the regional targets were unachievable and undeliverable—and two, because it would have had a detrimental effect on areas of green belt across the borough.”

Planning bosses admitted that they had taken into account the views of more than 7,000 residents who expressed concerns about the LDF plans during consultation last summer.

A six-week period of consultation on the core plans of the revised LDF will begin following next Wednesday’s meeting.

However, Mr Battersby explained that only complaints regarding the nature in which the government guidelines have been interpreted, legal processes and the number of homes settled upon, would be considered at that stage.

Further consultation about the sites which will accommodate the 12,750 proposed new homes will follow a further meeting expected to take place in November.

It is believed that around 7,000 homes can be situated on existing brown field sites and a further development of around 4,000 new homes, at Waverley, has also been factored in to the 15-year plan.

Contentious plans for the development of green belt land in Dinnington, Anston, Maltby and Bassingthorpe Farm area of Greasbrough remain, but some areas will only be called upon to accommodate new homes on around a third of the sites originally subject to public consultation.

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