Planning appeal after village housing scheme is rejected

The scheme would have seen new homes built on a site adjacent to Hemingfield Road, on the edge of that village, on a site which is partly green-field and partly used for farm buildings, which are said to be in a state of disrepair and would be replaced as part of the development.

Before the decision to reject the scheme was reached, Barnsley Council received 48 comments and objections to the scheme.

Those included concerns about the loss of agricultural land, the impact on wildlife habitats, the effect on neighbours’ peace at home, traffic and parking issues and a loss of outlook.

The site is officially ‘safeguarded’ under long-term council planning, meaning that it could be considered for housing development in future.

One element of the rejected planning application was a report which sought to illustrate that Barnsley Council was behind schedule on the number of new homes expected to be built in the borough, set out in its own planning blueprint, drawn up in 2019.

Planners have disputed that, however, and say a review in 2022 confirmed the authority was “adequately delivering” its objectives for new homes. Another review will not happen until 2027.

The reason for rejection was that the housing would have been a ‘piecemeal’ development of a wider area of safeguarded land, which is not allocated for development at present.

A planning inspector will investigate before making a ruling on the appeal.