Grade II-listed barn to be converted to townhouses under plans for housing estate on former garden centre

Plans for 32 new homes on the site of a former garden centre in Yorkshire have been rubber stamped – despite neighbours’ concerns over traffic and privacy.

The scheme, lodged by Avant Homes, will include the demolition of existing buildings, the construction of 25 new homes, and the conversion of historic agricultural buildings, including a Grade II listed barn, into an additional seven townhouses.

The Thrybergh site, previously home to Fosters Garden Centre which closed in 2020, will be home to three rows of townhouses facing Doncaster Road, each with rear parking.

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The site includes four Grade II-listed farm buildings, which will be converted into townhouses, featuring a shared courtyard. A disused petrol station on the site will also be demolished.

Fosters Garden Centre siteFosters Garden Centre site
Fosters Garden Centre site

However, the scheme has faced opposition from residents, and 17 letters of objection were sent to Rotherham Council, raising concerns about increased traffic congestion, impact on local services, and potential privacy issues for neighbouring properties.

During a planning board meeting on October 10, the council’s development manager Chris Wilkins said that a road through the development will connect to land behind the site, which has been earmarked for up to 300 homes.

Mr Wilkins added that this development is “fairly modest”, and that the site’s former use as a petrol station would have seen “a lot of traffic coming and going”.

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He added that the education department at the council did not require any financial contribution from the developers for school places, but that £28,000 would be sought for extra capacity at GP surgeries in the area.

Avant will be required under a legal agreement to pay almost £70,000 in total, to fund sustainable transport, solar-powered bus shelters and healthcare services in the area.

Charlotte Hatton, regional planner for Avant Homes, said that the council’s highways officers had concluded that the impact of the development on traffic in the area is ‘not severe’, in response to concerns raised by residents.

Ms Hatton added that the development will “enhance the site’s visual appeal”.

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Councillor Stuart Knight said that the site will be a ‘welcome addition to the area’, adding: “It saddens me to see the state of disrepair that that site has fallen into”.

The development was approved unanimously.

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