PLANS submitted for up to 230 new homes on scrubland at Stairfoot does not include any improvements to the nearby Stairfoot roundabout, as recommended by a local councillor.
Developer U and I Group Plc is looking to regenerate a piece of land that has been vacant for more than 50 years - plagued with issues such as gypsy encampments, tipping and dumping - to help address Barnsley’s ‘chronic’ housing shortage.
A major residential scheme for the site by developer Stainsby Grange Limited was refused by the council in 2009 and subsequently dismissed at appeal on March 31, 2010. This was due to loss of employment land and the ‘charcater of surroundings’ making it poorly suited to residential development.
Under the fresh proposals by U and I, the current dead end on Bleachcroft Way which runs past the front of the former B and Q store would continue into a new housing estate with areas of public open space and a children’s play area.
During public consultation last year, ahead of plans being submitted, Coun Wayne Johnson said he was concerned about the potential worsening of traffic problems at Stairfoot roundabout and that improvements were needed to make sure the development doesn’t make traffic problems on the notorious junction any worse.
Read more in this weeks Barnsley Chronicle
