Residents fight housing schemes

Housing company Keptcastle has applied to Barnsley Council to build 14 homes on the site of the former Cutting Edge pub in Bank End Road, Worsbrough.

Earlier this year the company applied to build 17 homes on the land, but the plans were recommended for refusal by town planners and subsequently withdrawn prior to a planning committee meeting in April.

Now the application has been resubmitted with amendments, which have reduced both the size of the homes and the number of houses.

As a result, Barnsley Council's planners have recommended that councillors give the application the go-ahead when it is considered at a meeting next Tuesday.

Nine residents have written letters to Barnsley Council opposing the development, claiming that there are already severe parking problems in the neighbourhood and these would only be exacerbated.

One objector said: "There are acute parking problems along Bank End Road which is proving unsafe and inconvenient to pedestrians and road users alike.

"Buses and emergency vehicles have problems negotiating the highway. The development will provide an additional burden."

Further objections have been received on the grounds of overlooking, overdevelopment, a loss of views across the valley, and a suggestion that another community facility, such as a pub, should be built on the site rather than houses.

Town planners, however, say the revised plans are acceptable and the development now has "a more open and permeable appearance".

They add that potential traffic problems should be "no worse" than when the Cutting Edge pub was on the site.

In recommending that planning permission should be granted, the planners say: "It is considered that the proposal will form an attractive residential development that will enhance the visual amenities of the locality, without being detrimental to either existing neighbouring occupiers or highway or pedestrian safety.

"The dwellings are located within a sustainable location, which benefits from good access to public transport and local services. The proposal will make an important contribution to the regeneration of the locality."

At the same planning meeting next Tuesday, councillors will also consider an outline application to build 110 homes in Lundwood.

The site in question is currently an open area of grassland near Wilson Grove and Priory Place. Six residents have objected to the proposals, on the grounds of traffic problems and the loss of recreational land.

Other opponents say the site is prone to flooding and building on an existing area of grassland would exacerbate this.

Town planners, however, claim that building 110 homes on the land would not be "overly ambitious" and the housing density would be similar to that of other modern developments in the area.

They say: "The site would be designed to accommodate an appropriate level of resident parking, which can be safely accessed without infringing upon highway safety or the residential amenity of existing residents of Ellwood or Wilson Grove.

"The site has a long-standing allocation for housing development. It has been identified within the five-year housing supply and falls within a recognised sustainable location.

"There are no reasons why a detailed scheme cannot be designed in accordance with planning polices."