New homes plan set for approval
by council

Proposals by Yorkshire Housing, which go before councillors today, would see the extension of the cul-de-sac in Saunderson Road with the development of an open field.

The majority of the semi-detached properties would be two-storey, with a single-storey pair of semis on the western side next to an existing bungalow.

The application follows an earlier plan for the site last year, which was withdrawn because of drainage and ecology concerns.

Nearly 30 objections to the scheme have been submitted from 26 households, including a claim that still-born babies are buried in unmarked graves in the field.

But a report to Barnsley Council said the applicant has consulted a map of burials and found that all these graves were outside the site.

One of the other chief objections, that great crested newts inhabit the site, has also been dismissed following surveys.

A specialist hired by the developers carried out three surveys of the site, the most recent being on Saturday, May 4, which featured an egg search, torch survey, and netting, but no evidence of the newts or any other amphibians was found.

A fourth survey is due to be carried by the end of the month.

The report says the proposal is “undeniably a modern extension to a 1960s cul-de-sac” of predominantly detached properties, but that the plans take this into account in scale and materials.

The report said: “...given that the scale and materials would provide a link to the existing housing the overall design of the scheme is considered acceptable”.

It would also help meet a shortage of affordable housing in the area, the report said.

The applicant has offered to erect bat boxes and plant trees to mitigate any ecological impact.