Two streets of terraced housing in Yorkshire to be demolished in £3m council scheme

The houses, on Co-Operative Street and Victoria Street, have all been purchased by the council, except for 16 homes where Barnsley Council could not establish the owner.

Fourteen of the homes have been bought by the council, with the owner voluntarily selling. The council offered market value for the properties, plus 7.5 per cent as a ‘basic loss payment’ to landlords.

More than £1.7m has been set aside for purchase costs, and £441,000 has been spent in compensation to homeowners.

However, there are still 16 homes on the streets where the council cannot establish who the owner is, or the land is subject to restrictive covenants – in this case, the council will use its compulsory purchasing powers to buy them.

Nine new, energy-efficient council homes will be built on the site of the former buildings, which will ‘diversify’ property types in the area. The council says if it cannot purchase the homes, it could lose funding for the scheme, and if the plans do not go ahead, current issues in Goldthorpe will not be addressed.

Local jobs will be created during construction, and the scheme will lead to a reduction in the number of empty properties and turnover of private rented properties in Goldthorpe. The new homes will be designed to create a ‘safe living environment with reduced levels of antisocial behaviour, fly-tipping and crime’.

The council will now apply to the Secretary of State to acquire the land where the ownership is unknown ‘as a measure of last resort’. If approved, Barnsley Council will be able to compulsorily acquire the land.