Masterplan for redevelopment of town centre site under scrutiny

A new masterplan for the so-called Courthouse Campus in Barnsley is set to be published after the site was identified as ideal for new homes and offices almost seven years ago.

The area, bounded by Regent Street, County Way, Eldon Street North and a railway, is currently used as a surface car park, but the masterplan shows a number of new uses.

However, members of Barnsley Council's ruling cabinet must sign off the vision before any preparatory work is carried out to make the site more attractive to inward investors.

According to the masterplan, drawn up by the council-led Barnsley Development Agency, the Courthouse Campus is the "last major undeveloped site close to the town centre".

The introduction to the 10-page document says: "The site represents a significant opportunity for creating new jobs and community facilities including a new town centre car park.

"Close proximity of the Courthouse site to the town centre suggests that it should form an integral part of the town centre fabric, fitting in with established uses, street patterns and buildings.

"The masterplan sets out a range of measures to achieve these aims whilst creating a strong framework of new public spaces.

"These spaces create the setting for new development but will also become a permanent piece of infrastructure that will mature with time, offering a new asset to local communities."

The masterplan includes a new park, so-called "green vistas", streets which will be known as "lanes", and plots of varying sizes which agency bosses hope to market to developers.

Currently the site is the main town centre car park, with about 920 spaces, but the masterplan suggests that two multi-storey car parks are built to replace capacity lost by the regeneration.

The plan's authors say: "Continued provision of convenient car parking is recognised as essential to the future economy of Barnsley in its role as a market town serving a wide area.

"A review of options for providing replacement parking within the site concluded that new multi-storey car parks provided the most economical, flexible and convenient solution.

"Existing surface parking would be progressively replaced as development plots are built out, maintaining the overall town centre car parking resource."

Historically, the site was agricultural land and was gradually built up as the railways arrived in the town. The courthouse name comes from the former presence of a court in a building which is now a pub. The area is around 10.5 acres (4.3 hectares) and is split-level with a central Victorian stone retaining wall which the agency says would be retained in the new designs.

It has variously been home to the town's second railway station, which was closed and demolished in the 1960s, and several buildings which were used by the council, which were also pulled down.

Council highways planners have estimated that work to improve the existing County Way access in order to make the site attractive to investors would cost more than 12m.

Cabinet members will also be asked to give officers the go-ahead to begin looking for funding for this project from sources such as the European Regional Development Fund.

A site investigation must also take place to ensure that the land is suitable for the development which is proposed. That is yet to take place but officers said it was projected that work would begin in the next few months.