Barnsley & Rotherham Chamber launches new proprty forum to cut planning 'bottlenecks'

According to the Chamber, an estimated 5,000 new homes are needed to meet South Yorkshire’s current housing needs. However, with many schemes facing lengthy delays when it comes to receiving planning permission, Barnsley & Rotherham Chamber believes that the delays not only impact the property sector but also “stifle regional economic growth”

Matthew Stephens, president, Barnsley & Rotherham Chamber, said: “South Yorkshire is lagging behind many areas of the UK when it comes to meeting the local housing need. Planning, by its very nature, is a complex area, and to bring any planned development to fruition rightly requires scrutiny. Yet at the same time, local authority planning departments are facing significant challenges of their own, not least being expected to achieve more with increasingly limited resources.

"The inevitable result is d elays in permissions being granted, which in turn doesn’t just affect the property sector but the regional economy as a whole."

The new property forum was launched at a special event that took place at the New York Stadium and saw more than 50 senior property professionals participate.

During the event, delegates were given the chance to hear from Colin Blackburn, assistant director of housing infrastructure and planning, SYMCA, who provided an update about the region’s future development plans