Vale Head Park: Plan revealed to build more than 250 homes near to much-loved Yorkshire park

Banks Property said it is preparing proposals for the major residential development at an 11-hectare site to the east of Wakefield Road. The company plans to hold surgeries later this month to introduce the scheme to members the community.

A planning application is then expected to be finalised and submitted to Wakefield Council. The Hollins Bank development would also see a network of new cycle paths, footpaths and wildlife habitats created. If approved, the scheme includes installing electric vehicle charging points at every new home.

The project is being brought forward in line with the emerging Wakefield Local Plan 2036, which is in the final stages of being completed. The local plan is a land-use blueprint which shapes how the district will develop over the next decade – forming the basis for all planning decisions.

Kate Culverhouse, community relations manager at Banks Group, said: “There is a clear and increasingly pressing need across the UK to increase the available supply of quality homes, including in this popular part of West Yorkshire.

“We firmly believe that people should have the opportunity to stay in or move to the places where they wish to live, and that this is a wholly-suitable location for the high-quality development that we’re proposing to deliver.”

The plan includes providing 2.7 hectares of public open space. Routes to Vale Head Park and Hemsworth Water Park, to the north of the site, would be improved to access to the leisure facilities. Improvements would also be made to Station Road in the town centre.

The project would directly support 125 jobs during construction, with a further 180 jobs indirectly supported. The company says it has a “long-standing policy” of using local suppliers where possible.

Ms Culverhouse said: “The site is close to local schools, shops and the town centre, well connected to local services and is a logical northern extension to the existing community.

“Our surgeries will enable local people and businesses to find out more about the work we’re looking to undertake, and to put ideas and questions forward which will help to inform the planning application that we’ll submit to Wakefield Council for review.”

Appointment-only events will take place at Hemsworth Community Centre on August 30 and September 5.

Banks Property has developed brownfield and greenfield land for commercial and residential schemes across the north of England and Scotland for more than 35 years. It is currently progressing plans for an extension to Eggborough village, in North Yorkshire, which would include up to 1,500 properties.