Three day planning inquiry in challenge over homes decision

It had been proposed to remove existing farm buildings and develop adjacent green field land for an estate of homes on the edge of Hemingfield village, but that was turned down by Barnsley Council.

The site, off Hemingfield Road, and alongside the Dearne Valley Parkway, is ‘safeguarded’ land, meaning it has been taken out of the Green Belt, but is not earmarked for development under Barnsley Council’s current Local Plan - a blueprint which sets out the major sites available for housing or commercial use into the 2030s.

For Local Plans to remain valid, councils have to justify they have a land-supply available for housing needs over the next five years.

According to appeal documents, the applicant will “demonstrate that the council is unable to demonstrate a five-year housing and supply and thus the presumption in favour of sustainable development is triggered.”

If proved, that would give greater weight to the planning application.

The documents also claim that the council “the housing land supply position has consistently deteriorated”, shown by a review of the progress of the plan, which was adopted in 2019.

It does on to suggest the council “has confi9rmed its position at a public inquiry recently that it can no longer demonstrate a five-year housing land supply and the appellant will also demonstrate that the actual position is significantly worse than the council suggested in that case.”

A planning application was rejected last year, on the grounds the proposed housing would be ‘piecemeal’ development of a larger ‘safeguarded’ site.

The key points of dispute between the council and developers surround matters including whether ‘safeguarded’ land should be released, following updates to a Local Plan, and whether the development would constitute ‘piecemeal’ use of land in the area.

There is also no consensus between the two on the scale of shortfall of housing land available in Barnsley.

The developer argues the council also previously identified a supply good for less than four years of deliverable housing at a separate planning appeal, then another with slightly more than three years’ supply.

The appeal has been lodged by Hargreaves Land Limited, based in Leeds.