BARNSLEY may need to provide up to twice as many new homes as the council has been planning for in the next 15 years, it has emerged.
It means dozens of villages which appeared to have escaped the prospect of major new developments could now be targeted for housing.
The news will come as a bombshell to many communities which already believe they have been overburdened with plans for new homes and others which have been working to defend themselves from what is seen as unacceptable development levels.
The council’s expectation is that somewhere between 967 and 1,389 new homes will need to go up in the town each year until 2033 to accommodate those who will find work under a job creation programme which has been developed in tandem with the new housing, under a blueprint called the ‘Local Plan’.
But before that can be adopted it has to be signed off by a Government inspector and she has already warned the real housing need could be in excess of 1,900 new homes each year.
Barnsley Council spokesman Coun Roy Miller said: "The Local Plan inspector's initial findings demonstrate support for the plan and the processes followed, and also highlights areas where further work is required.
"This involves aligning our housing needs with our aspirations for job creation, and taking a more positive approach towards providing adequate housing in the villages.
"At present, the housing requirement in the plan is 1,100 homes a year and the plan seeks to support the creation of 33,000 jobs. The inspector is concerned that more new homes could be required to support that level of job creation and so we're currently reviewing our evidence to explore possible options."
Full story in this week's Barnsley Chronicle, dated September 8, 2017.
