New housing proposal for Aston approved by council

Members of Rotherham Council’s planning board voted to grant permission for the development.

The scheme will see 107 homes built on a 3.86-hectare site to the south of Aston, close to the A57 and the Mansfield Road Industrial Estate. The development includes a mix of two, three, and four-bedroom houses, as well as 12 bungalows.

Planning permission was granted subject to a legal agreement securing contributions towards affordable housing, education, health facilities, transport improvements and green space.

Permission was granted subject to a Section 106 legal agreement, including nine affordable homes, £327,189 towards secondary education at Aston Academy, £104,000 for additional consulting rooms at Swallownest Health Centre, £53,500 to promote sustainable transport, £39,108 for bus stop improvements on Mansfield Road, and up to £67,203 towards local sports pitch provision. Funding has also been secured for long-term habitat management and the creation of a management company to maintain green spaces on the site.

In total, 73 letters of objection were received, representing 66 separate objectors, including Anston Parish Council.

Objectors raised concerns about pressure on already overstretched services such as GPs, dentists, schools and public transport, increased traffic and safety issues on Mansfield Road, and the combined impact of this scheme alongside a neighbouring development. Other concerns included the loss of green space and Green Belt land, harm to biodiversity, flood risk linked to drainage and soil conditions, a lack of affordable housing and claims the site would be overdeveloped.

Anston Parish Council said the proposal would be an unsustainable greenfield development, with inadequate public transport and a heavy reliance on car use.

Planning officers concluded, however, that the site is allocated for development in the council’s adopted Local Plan and that the authority cannot currently demonstrate a five-year supply of housing land, triggering the “tilted balance” in favour of the development.

Technical assessments found no unacceptable impacts on highways, flood risk, drainage, ecology, noise or air quality, subject to conditions and mitigation measures. Council officers said traffic impacts would be within acceptable limits, flood risk could be managed through sustainable drainage, and biodiversity losses would be offset through on-site habitat creation and off-site credits.

The developer, Gleeson Homes, said the scheme had been reduced from an earlier proposal and included mitigation measures to address highways, drainage and environmental concerns.

Speaking at the meeting, Beth Justice, a senior planner at agency nineteen47 on behalf of the applicants, told councillors the proposal would deliver much-needed housing in a sustainable location, with green spaces, tree planting and sustainable drainage designed to manage flood risk. She said technical assessments had found no unacceptable impacts on highways, neighbouring industrial uses, or infrastructure, with no objections raised by statutory consultees.

Councillors debated the balance between housing need and local impact before voting to approve the application in line with officers’ recommendations.