Yorkshire brownfield housing bids shortlisted

Proposals to set up ‘housing zones’ in Rotherham, Sheffield and Wakefield have been shortlisted in a Government competition.

In all, 29 schemes have been shortlisted and Ministers will pick 10 to become housing zones which will have streamlined planning rules and access to financial help from the Government.

The Wakefield Council scheme would see 1,200 homes built on the former Hickson and Welch chemical plant and the former Nestle factory based in Castleford, bringing 75 acres of brownfield land back into use as part of a wider regeneration plan for the area.

Coun Denise Jeffery, Wakefield Council’s cabinet member for economic growth and skills, said: “I am thrilled that Wakefield has been shortlisted for the first housing zone in the UK.

“If we are among the final 10, this will bring much needed regeneration to the Castleford area as well as providing homes for families in the district, helping to boost our local economy and creating various jobs for people in the area.”

Rotherham and Sheffield Councils have put forward a joint scheme to unlock brownfield land in the Lower Don Valley area that could be used to build 4,500 homes.