News: Rotherham planning board recommended to give green light for Gleeson housing plans
The planning board at Rotherham Council are being recommended by officers to approve plans when it meets later this month to decide on an application for over 100 houses from developer, Gleeson.
It comes less than a month after rival plans were withdrawn.
Rothbiz reported in 2024 that Gleeson Homes had identified a site at Mansfield Road in Aston for a new development with a planning application submitted for 111 houses.
The wider site was allocated for mixed use in the council's local plan with the authority explaining that around 150 houses could be accommodated here alongside employment uses.
Another planning application for part of the site was submitted for 155 houses by Persimmon Homes in 2019 but was withdrawn last month.
Gleeson's plans are for a mix of houses across the sloping site but have been revised to now total 107 houses. 27 will have 2 bedrooms, 51 will have 3 bedrooms and 29 will have 4 bedrooms. The majority of the development will be two-storey in height, with the exception of the 12 bungalows.
The main access to the new development would be from Mansfield Road with existing telegraph wires and poles redirected to enable development. The south of the site would include open space and wetlands in the drainage area.
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A report from Cushman & Wakefield submitted with the application confirms that "landowners Network Space Ltd have owned the Site for over 30 years and has been unable to deliver employment land development owing to the topography and ground condition relevant to industrial development."
A report from planning officers states: "There is considerable, more attractive and easily deliverable land supply available, closer or adjacent to larger existing industrial areas, meaning that the loss of the Mansfield Road site from the employment allocation will have limited impact on local supply.
"For residential development, lower costs associated with topographical constraints and ground conditions owing to smaller footprints; coupled with higher achievable end values could cover the costs of development to support a viable scheme. As such, the proposal for residential development at the Mansfield Road site is considered acceptable given the constraints of the site for bringing it forward for employment development."
The viability of the scheme means that only nine of the houses are set to be classed as affordable with Rotherham Council's policy setting that 25% of houses should be affordable in developments of this size. The applicant sets out that despite the site being located in a good market location, relatively high abnormal development costs reduce the financial viability of the scheme.
58 letters were submitted as part of the planning process with many objections, including from the local parish council.
Recommending the application be granted planning permission, any approval comes with a number of conditions. A legal agreement between the council and the developer called a Section 106 agreement (a mechanism which makes a development proposal acceptable in planning terms, that would not otherwise be acceptable) would include over £600,000 being covered by the developer for things like education provision at the nearby Aston Academy and expanding medical facilities at Swallownest Health Centre.
The site is adjacent to another potential housing site where builder Keepmoat is progressing plans. Closer to Swallownest, the site known as Aston Common was allocated for residential use in the council's local plan that was adopted in 2018, taking it out of the green belt.
Agents said last year that the intention was to pursue a full planning application for 189 dwellings on the 16.2 hectare site.
Gleeson Homes website
Images: Gleeson / Google Maps
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It comes less than a month after rival plans were withdrawn.
Rothbiz reported in 2024 that Gleeson Homes had identified a site at Mansfield Road in Aston for a new development with a planning application submitted for 111 houses.
The wider site was allocated for mixed use in the council's local plan with the authority explaining that around 150 houses could be accommodated here alongside employment uses.
Another planning application for part of the site was submitted for 155 houses by Persimmon Homes in 2019 but was withdrawn last month.
Gleeson's plans are for a mix of houses across the sloping site but have been revised to now total 107 houses. 27 will have 2 bedrooms, 51 will have 3 bedrooms and 29 will have 4 bedrooms. The majority of the development will be two-storey in height, with the exception of the 12 bungalows.
The main access to the new development would be from Mansfield Road with existing telegraph wires and poles redirected to enable development. The south of the site would include open space and wetlands in the drainage area.
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A report from Cushman & Wakefield submitted with the application confirms that "landowners Network Space Ltd have owned the Site for over 30 years and has been unable to deliver employment land development owing to the topography and ground condition relevant to industrial development."
A report from planning officers states: "There is considerable, more attractive and easily deliverable land supply available, closer or adjacent to larger existing industrial areas, meaning that the loss of the Mansfield Road site from the employment allocation will have limited impact on local supply.
"For residential development, lower costs associated with topographical constraints and ground conditions owing to smaller footprints; coupled with higher achievable end values could cover the costs of development to support a viable scheme. As such, the proposal for residential development at the Mansfield Road site is considered acceptable given the constraints of the site for bringing it forward for employment development."
The viability of the scheme means that only nine of the houses are set to be classed as affordable with Rotherham Council's policy setting that 25% of houses should be affordable in developments of this size. The applicant sets out that despite the site being located in a good market location, relatively high abnormal development costs reduce the financial viability of the scheme.
58 letters were submitted as part of the planning process with many objections, including from the local parish council.
Recommending the application be granted planning permission, any approval comes with a number of conditions. A legal agreement between the council and the developer called a Section 106 agreement (a mechanism which makes a development proposal acceptable in planning terms, that would not otherwise be acceptable) would include over £600,000 being covered by the developer for things like education provision at the nearby Aston Academy and expanding medical facilities at Swallownest Health Centre.
The site is adjacent to another potential housing site where builder Keepmoat is progressing plans. Closer to Swallownest, the site known as Aston Common was allocated for residential use in the council's local plan that was adopted in 2018, taking it out of the green belt.
Agents said last year that the intention was to pursue a full planning application for 189 dwellings on the 16.2 hectare site.
Gleeson Homes website
Images: Gleeson / Google Maps
