Planners recommend industrial development - despite "harm" it will cause
AN INDUSTRIAL development near Goldthorpe would mean “significant investment and a vast number of employment opportunities” if councillors vote for it to go ahead next week.
The development would seen a green field site, alongside Doncaster Road on the Darfield side of Goldthorpe developed for employment use.
A roundabout, which would give access, has already been created.
Documents to be considered by members of Barnsley Council’s planning board concede that “development of this scale will result in some environmental harm, particularly in regard to ecolgoy/biodiversity.”
In addition there may be “partial disturbance in regard to residential amenity”.
Despite that, planning officers state: “The economic benefits of the scheme significantly outweigh the minimal harm upon the local environment and amenity”.
Marsh Harrier birds are known to use the area for foraging, but they are deemed to breed elsewhere and developing the land “should not directly impact on the breeding success of the species” councillors are told. The RSPB Dearne Valley-Old Moor site is around a kilometre away.
The Billingley Conservation Area is around 600 metres from the site.
Planners recommend that councillors approve the application, which would pave the way for four building plots to be created, for use as storage and distribution, or general employment.
However, general employment would be restricted to no more than 30 per cent of the accommodation.
The site was earmarked for development under the Local Plan created by Barnsley Council several years ago, a blueprint which mapped out land suitable for both housing and economic developing into the 2030s.