News: Masterplan signed off for 2,000 home development in Rotherham greenbelt
A proposed 2,000 home development on former greenbelt land in Rotherham has reached an important step in the planning process.
The vision is to create a "well-connected 21st century garden community" at Bassingthorpe Farm
A Bassingthorpe Farm Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) has been signed off by the Council's cabinet. It provides detailed guidance to developers when preparing planning applications, to help bring forward development of the site in a way that meets the Council’s objectives.
As part of the Local Plan core strategy that was adopted in 2014, the 215 hectare area close to Rotherham town centre was controversially removed from the Green Belt and designated as a Strategic Allocation and the main location for new housing, employment and retail growth.
Around 57 hectares (26%) of the site is under Rotherham Council's ownership and the Council has been leading on the proposals for a number of years, working collaboratively with major landowner, Fitzwilliam (Wentworth) Estates (FWE), on how to bring forward the project.
The allocation was for around 2,400 new homes, a primary school, a local centre, employment land and commercial opportunities. Work has been carried out to detail just where development platforms, new roads, the school and flood preventing reservoirs could be located.
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The cabinet report explains: "The vision for Bassingthorpe Farm is to create a well-connected 21st century garden community and an integral part of Rotherham. It should offer excellent walkable neighbourhoods and convenient links with adjacent communities, a transformed town centre and new mainline station. A quality landscape setting supports healthy active lifestyles as well as comprehensive bio-diversity gains as part of integrated green and blue infrastructure.
"The heart of Bassingthorpe should include vibrant local shops and facilities with job opportunities and a neighbourhood park. New distinctive neighbourhoods will provide a mix of quality homes, including affordable housing that meets local needs, helping, transforming Rotherham’s housing offer with more compact character areas in key locations and overall of a scale to sustain a critical mass of neighbourhood facilities Bassingthorpe will foster inclusive, diverse communities. Long term stewardship underpins the community’s sustainability, from the management of its greenspaces to the genuine involvement of local people."
The latest technical work suggests up to approximately 2,000 homes can be achieved which is lower than the anticipated number of homes in previous masterplan drafts.
Regarding employment uses, the framework plan shows proposed employment uses on a dedicated site to the eastern edge of the allocation area. Development here could be integrated with the existing employment area at Mangham Road and would benefit from access from Greasbrough Road. Land to the west of Carr Hill, to the north of the recycling centre is also proposed for employment uses.
Cllr John Williams, Cabinet Member for Transport, Jobs and the Local Economy at Rotherham Council, explained the timeframes for the development. He said: "In adopting this report, there isn't going to be any works happening tomorrow, next week or next month. Nothing is going to immediately happen. This is a planning technical excercise setting out that clear guidance and information to any potential future developer to then bring forward the development."
Cllr. Chris Read, leader of Rotherham Council added: "If, and when, housing proposals are brought forward, we want those to be good quality proposals. We want that to be a sustainable neighbourhood where people want to live, to have good public transport access, homes that people want to live in and a community that fits within our wider Rotherham community. That's the purpose of trying to put some planning rules araound it and we've welcomed the feedback we've had from the public and we've tried to respond to those issues, priorities and concerns."
Viability issues have hampered progress so far. It was in November 2016 when the authority approved plans to search for a "Promotion Partner" that would bring skills and funding to facilitate the delivery of the site.
In 2018, the authority was considering utilising a "Bare Trust" to pool its land together with that of other landowners in order to progress development.
Images: RMBC / HYAS / Google Maps
The vision is to create a "well-connected 21st century garden community" at Bassingthorpe Farm
A Bassingthorpe Farm Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) has been signed off by the Council's cabinet. It provides detailed guidance to developers when preparing planning applications, to help bring forward development of the site in a way that meets the Council’s objectives.
As part of the Local Plan core strategy that was adopted in 2014, the 215 hectare area close to Rotherham town centre was controversially removed from the Green Belt and designated as a Strategic Allocation and the main location for new housing, employment and retail growth.
Around 57 hectares (26%) of the site is under Rotherham Council's ownership and the Council has been leading on the proposals for a number of years, working collaboratively with major landowner, Fitzwilliam (Wentworth) Estates (FWE), on how to bring forward the project.
The allocation was for around 2,400 new homes, a primary school, a local centre, employment land and commercial opportunities. Work has been carried out to detail just where development platforms, new roads, the school and flood preventing reservoirs could be located.
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The cabinet report explains: "The vision for Bassingthorpe Farm is to create a well-connected 21st century garden community and an integral part of Rotherham. It should offer excellent walkable neighbourhoods and convenient links with adjacent communities, a transformed town centre and new mainline station. A quality landscape setting supports healthy active lifestyles as well as comprehensive bio-diversity gains as part of integrated green and blue infrastructure.
"The heart of Bassingthorpe should include vibrant local shops and facilities with job opportunities and a neighbourhood park. New distinctive neighbourhoods will provide a mix of quality homes, including affordable housing that meets local needs, helping, transforming Rotherham’s housing offer with more compact character areas in key locations and overall of a scale to sustain a critical mass of neighbourhood facilities Bassingthorpe will foster inclusive, diverse communities. Long term stewardship underpins the community’s sustainability, from the management of its greenspaces to the genuine involvement of local people."
The latest technical work suggests up to approximately 2,000 homes can be achieved which is lower than the anticipated number of homes in previous masterplan drafts.
Regarding employment uses, the framework plan shows proposed employment uses on a dedicated site to the eastern edge of the allocation area. Development here could be integrated with the existing employment area at Mangham Road and would benefit from access from Greasbrough Road. Land to the west of Carr Hill, to the north of the recycling centre is also proposed for employment uses.
Cllr. Chris Read, leader of Rotherham Council added: "If, and when, housing proposals are brought forward, we want those to be good quality proposals. We want that to be a sustainable neighbourhood where people want to live, to have good public transport access, homes that people want to live in and a community that fits within our wider Rotherham community. That's the purpose of trying to put some planning rules araound it and we've welcomed the feedback we've had from the public and we've tried to respond to those issues, priorities and concerns."
Viability issues have hampered progress so far. It was in November 2016 when the authority approved plans to search for a "Promotion Partner" that would bring skills and funding to facilitate the delivery of the site.
In 2018, the authority was considering utilising a "Bare Trust" to pool its land together with that of other landowners in order to progress development.
Images: RMBC / HYAS / Google Maps
5 comments:
A major countryside area in Rotherham will be lost. "If" says the counsellor, its not "if", it will happen and will ruin the landscape which can't be replaced. Wait for Aldwarke to close and use that brownfield site.
Proof that this council don't care what local people. Hopefully work won't have started by 2028 and when they all get voted out it'll hopefully be scrapped.
Don't care what people what?
‘Think’
Apologies, I typed it out in a rush and in my haste missed out a word.
It’s criminal. The only hope we have is the council are so inept at doing anything that it might keep getting pushed back indefinitely.
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