New offices ‘final jigsaw piece’ in town centre redevelopment

So far the £15m redevelopment project headed by Barnsley-based Dransfield Properties has involved building a new Tesco supermarket, a revamped covered market, an all-weather bowling green, council offices, a 190-space car park and relocated fire and ambulance stations.

Now new plans have been announced for a development of 21 offices, on land which fronts St Mary’s Street and the access road to the new Tesco store. The land was originally earmarked for a block of flats. Dranfield Properties has submitted a planning application to Barnsley Council for the office block, dubbed the Penistone Gateway, which it says will be a “new high-quality commercial development on a run-down piece of land close to the town centre.”

The development will include six new commercial units ranging in size from 1,200 sq ft to 2,400 sq ft, up to 21 first floor office units and 25 car parking spaces.

Development surveyor at Dransfield Properties, David Hale, said: “This is the final piece of the jigsaw in our plans for Penistone town centre.

“The development we are proposing is on a key site in the town and is one of the first things visitors see when they come in to Penistone. It is important, therefore, that we have the right development on the site.

“We have looked at the architecture of the town centre as well as the new market area to bring forward a development which really enhances this area and adds to the work which has already been achieved through the town centre regeneration scheme.”

A spokesman for the developer said that the planning application should be considered by Barnsley Council’s planning board this spring and, if approved, building work on the offices will begin later this year.

The spokesman added: “The scheme’s architects, Chesterfield-based WCEC, also worked on the new Tesco store which opened in August 2010 as well as Penistone’s impressive new covered markets area.

“The land had previously been earmarked for a residential development as part of the town centre regeneration scheme but those plans were turned down, leaving the 0.59 acre site disused when the rest of the town centre was developed last year.

“The new development, which is seeking investment from the European Regional Development Fund, will not only complement and enhance the town but will also accommodate up to 80 jobs.”

Controversy previously surrounded the building of the Tesco supermarket because part of the site is on land that was previously used for the annual Penistone Show, an event billed as the largest one-day agricultural show in the North.

Campaigners keen to stop Tesco building on the land looked at plans to designate it as a village green, but the problems were later rectified when Barnsley Council bought a piece of land close to the Tesco site and earmarked it as green space, meaning that it can be used for both the Penistone Show and other public events.

Tesco opened its doors on August 30 last year and the 138th annual Penistone Show went ahead two weeks later, attracting an estimated 18,000 visitors.

Despite the previous wrangles, show organisers praised Tesco for their help in running the “fabulous” event.

Event spokesman Liz Walker said at the time: “The arrival of Tesco disrupted show access, but the new arrangements worked better than ever. Tesco were also kind enough to sponsor the main rings and worked tirelessly to help the society overcome obstables

Around 170 new jobs were created in Penistone with the opening of the new supermarket and store manager Mick Somerset said the company had been “overwhelmed” by the number of applications.