REVISED plans to build new homes on scrubland at Stairfoot will go before Barnsley Council on Tuesday.
Developer U and I Group are seeking outline permission to regenerate land off Bleachcroft Way next to Stairfoot Retail Park which has been vacant for more than 50 years, and plagued by fly-tipping, by erecting 250 houses.
The site is bordered by the currently vacant former B and Q store, allotments, a railway, a disused canal and the Dob Sike watercourse.
A major residential scheme for the site by another developer was refused by the council in 2009 and subsequently dismissed at appeal.
This was due to loss of employment land and the ‘character of surroundings’ making it poorly suited to residential development.
U and I Group submitted plans for up to 230 dwellings in 2017, but submitted a revised bid following the adoption of Barnsley’s local plan in January 2019.
There is a proposed Section 106 agreement - money set aside to benefit the community - under which the developer would contribute to school capacity, alterations to the nearby Stairfoot roundabout, sustainable travel and improvements to off-site greenspace as well as providing ten per cent affordable housing.
The proposal includes a mix of house types and several areas of public open space with pedestrian access routes throughout the site.
