News: Keepmoat submits plans for Rotherham housing development

A planning application has been submitted to build houses on another green field site in Rotherham.

Rothbiz reported last year that Keepmoat Homes was targeting a site known as Aston Common that was allocated for residential use in the council's local plan, adopted in 2018 and taking it out of the green belt.

The Mansfield Road site is located within Swallownest which is designated as a Principal Settlement in the Rotherham Settlement Hierarchy contained within the local plan, which indicated that the 6.5 hectare site could be used for 175 houses.

The full application is for the erection of 189 dwellings, public open space, sustainable drainage solutions, pumping station and associated infrastructure.

Due to the sloping topography of the site, the design proposals have therefore been completed alongside specialist engineers to ensure that the development can be achieved successfully using a series of retaining walls.

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A variety of property types are established within the scheme in terms of form and size with a mix of 1 (10), 2 (65), 3 (69) and 4 (45) bedroom properties. Detached, semi detached and terraced forms are proposed as well as quarter houses.

Rotherham Council's policy for schemes of this size is for 25% of the houses to be classed as affordable. Keepmoat has raised concerns over viability and has not included an Affordable Housing Statement with the application.

All vehicle access will be taken from Mansfield Road.

Consultants for Keepmoat, JRP, state in the application: "This statement has identified a range of important benefits associated with the proposals. Chief among these, is the delivery of new homes. Very significant weight should be afforded to the delivery of new market and affordable housing.

"The proposed development brings significant social, economic and environmental benefits and very much falls within the definition of sustainable development, on which the NPPF [national planning policies] encourages planning authorities to take a positive approach. It has been demonstrated that the scheme will not result in any significant adverse impacts and there are no policies within the NPPF which indicates that the development should be restricted."

Earlier this year the planning board at Rotherham Council voted to approve plans for an application for over 100 houses also on Mansfield Road from developer, Gleeson.

Keepmoat website

Images: Keepmoat / JRP

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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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News: Rotherham Persimmon plans pulled

An application for 155 houses in Rotherham by Persimmon Homes submitted in 2019 is no longer being assessed by the local planning authority. It comes as rival housebuilders prepare plans for the adjacent plots of land.

Rothbiz reported last year that a masterplan was updated for a proposed housing scheme on a parcel of land at Aston where developers have been unable to bring forward a commercial scheme.

Persimmon Homes and Gleeson Homes had both identified the site at Mansfield Road for development.

The wider site was allocated for mixed use in the council's local plan with the authority explaining that around 150 houses could be accomodated here alongside employment uses.

Landowners Network Space Ltd has 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.

Gleeson's 2024 plans are for 111 houses - a mix of houses across the sloping site - 23, two-bed houses, 63, three-bed and 25, four-bed. Twelve are designed as bungalows.

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Rotherham Council has asked for a masterplan for the "comprehensive development of the whole site" which is required to support any planning permission.

Consultants, nineteen47 on behalf of Gleeson Homes, submitted a masterplan, which includes planned uses for Gleeson's site, Persimmon's site, and a remaining parcel of land between the existing Mansfield Road Industrial Estate and the A57 Aston Bypass.

The 2024 application for Gleeson, drawn up by Nineteen47, explains: "The neighbouring application to the east does not comprise committed residential development. The application was validated in December 2019 and since that time very limited progress has been made towards the determination of the application. There is no clear rationale for the delays and the application could yet be withdrawn or refused by the LPA, it cannot be relied upon to satisfy the housing requirement within the allocation. The proposed housing within this application could therefore contribute to the anticipated provision of housing within the site."

The 2019 Permisson application remained undetermined until last month and is now listed as withdrawn.

The whole 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.

Images: Google Maps / Gleeson / nineteen47 / niemen

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News: Plans in for Rotherham brownfield housing development

Detailed plans have been submitted for 120 houses on the site of a former bus depot in Rotherham.

Rothbiz reported in 2023 that Prospect Estates Ltd had submitted an outline application for new housing on the 3.9 hectare site at Masbrough in 2023. The plans were approved in February 2024.

Now a detailed application shows that Keepmoat, a leading UK home builder, is taking on the redevelopment of the former Midland Road bus depot that was demolished in 2023.

The application applies for the reserved matters of scale, layout, appearance and landscape for the erection of 120 residential dwellings with associated infrastructure and open space.

House types vary across the development and include 1, 2, 3 and 4 bedroom homes, with a mix of 2 and 2.5 storey buildings and different types of dwellings: detached, semi detached, short terraces and quarter houses.

No affordable housing is included due to the site being brownfield and the developers able to use Vacant Building Credit where the development is equal in size or smaller than the demolished buildings onsite.

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A significant sum is expected from the applicant to support local education provision.

Vehicular access is shown from Midland Road (the main entrance to the previous depot) and on Union Street.

Two main areas of play space are shown, one behind the existing doctor's surgery and one on the corner of Kimberworth Road and Devonshire Street. Plans, drawn up by consultants at JRP, say they are located "as a high quality entry point of the site. This vision is driven by a desire to create spaces that are active focal point, not just for the benefit of new residents but the wider community."

A surface water attenuation tank forms part of the flood risk management strategy for the site.

The site was purchased by Prospect Estates, and buildings demolished, for £1,8m. Developer Gleeson had previously agreed terms for the site with planning permission for £3.2m but delays were caused when the applicant was involved in a legal challenge against Rotherham Council regarding the approval of outline planning permission. The challenge ultimately failed.

Across Rotherham, Keepmoat is currently building new homes on a brownfield site to create Moorgate Boulevard.

Keepmoat website

Images: Keepmoat

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News: Masterplan updated for Rotherham housing scheme

A masterplan has been updated for a proposed housing scheme on a parcel of land in Rotherham where developers have been unable to bring forward a commercial scheme.

Rothbiz reported in October 2024 on rival housebuilders Persimmon Homes and Gleeson Homes, both identifying the site at Aston for development.

The Mansfield Road site was allocated for mixed use in the council's local plan with the authority explaining that around 150 houses could be accomodated here alongside employment uses.

Plans for 155 houses on part of the site were submitted by Persimmon Homes in 2019, with Gleeson submitting a planning application for 111 houses last year for another part of the site.

Rotherham Council has asked for a masterplan for the "comprehensive development of the whole site" which is required to support any planning permission.

Consultants, nineteen47 on behalf of Gleeson Homes, have now submitted a masterplan, which includes planned uses for Gleeson's site, Persimmon's site, and a remaining parcel of land between the existing Mansfield Road Industrial Estate and the A57 Aston Bypass.

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Applicants argue that their site is not required for employment use and therefore both this and the parcel to the east can appropriately accommodate new housing development.

Landowners Network Space Ltd has 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.

The masterplan shows that the remaining western parcel of land could be used for future housing development, or as a dedicated biodiversity net gain site featuring enhanced landscape planting.

The application concludes that the update "demonstrates how residential development can be comprehensively delivered within the Application Site as part of a cohesive masterplan alongside residential development to the east, and alternative forms of development on the remainder of the allocation to the west.

"Two illustrative masterplans have been provided, which illustrate potential future uses for the remaining allocation land to the west. It has been demonstrated that these future uses could be integrated cohesively with the Application Site and will be able to function as a well connected and considered final development."

Aston-cum-Aughton Parish Council has already objected to the plans.

Gleeson website
Persimmon website

Images: Gleeson / nineteen47 / niemen

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News: Legal challenge over Rotherham housing scheme

A power response firm has failed in a legal challenge over the approval of planning permission for a housing scheme near to its Rotherham operation.

Amalgamated Smart Metering Ltd, a subsidiary of Mercia Power Response, had taken its cause to the courts, arguing that Rotherham Council had acted unlawfully in granting outline planning approval for 120 residential units on the site of the former Midland Road bus depot.

Mercia claimed that the council had not informed them of the plans and so they could not make representations regarding potential noise conflicts.

Rothbiz reported in 2023 that Prospect Estates Ltd had submitted an application for the demolished site at Masbrough in 2023. The plans were approved in February 2024.

Mercia submitted a judicial review claim on July 17 2024 - outside of the six week time limit for such a claim. It was concerned that the introduction of a large scale housing development so close to its gas reciprocating flexible power generating facility would risk its existing operations and limit the scope for any future development.

Issues were raised regarding how the council alerts potential interested parties through letters, signage and local press notices, and its online planning portal and faulty online map search facility. The noise impact assessment submitted in support of the application was also argued to be deficient.

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At Leeds Combined Court the claimant stated that it had heard rumours and was "very concerned to discover the existence of the planning permission on 11 June 2024." However, the judge, Robert Palmer KC, ruled that it was clear from evidence that the firm had seen a 2023 article from Rothbiz in February 2024 "that could not be more explicit" in setting out that an outline planning application had been submitted.

Palmer said: "It was entirely clear – indeed the article could not have been more explicit – that an outline planning application had been made. Further, the article had provided significant detail as to the basis of the application. Despite all of this, the only reference to the contents ... was that it "referred to the prior approval of the demolition of the Development Site". This is a strikingly incomplete summary of its contents."

The judge was told by Mercia's lawyers that that is all that had been taken from the article at the time. Palmer added: "It is not clear why that should be so. It is difficult to understand why anyone could have been left in any doubt as to the existence of a recent outline planning application, which represented a separate and new application to the demolition application that had been previously approved.

"It therefore appears that the application would have been capable of discovery with minimal effort, had suitable searches been conducted at an earlier stage.

"The Claimant had had a fair opportunity to become aware of the proposed development, and could subsequently have objected to it [in time]."

The legal challenge was dismissed with the judge concluding that "there is no good or sufficient reason to extend time to make up for the claimant's delay."

The summary of the case also shows that Gleeson, the Sheffield-based urban regeneration and strategic land specialist, was poised to buy the site once outline planning permission was approved.

The site was purchased by Prospect Estates, and buildings demolished, for £1,8m. Gleeson had agreed terms for the site with planning permission for £3.2m.

Gleeson focuses solely on building low cost homes and only builds affordable homes. It has completed developments in Kilnhurst and Dalton.

Prospect Estates website
Mercia website

Images: Google Maps

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News: Rival plans for housing at Rotherham mixed use site

A parcel of land in Rotherham, where developers have been unable to bring forward a commercial scheme, could be used for new housing, if plans are approved.

The site at Aston is west of a site where another planning application was submitted for 155 houses by Persimmon Homes in 2019.

Gleeson Homes has now identified a site at Mansfield Road for a new development and a planning application has been 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 accomodated here alongside employment uses.

Gleeson's plans are for a mix of houses across the sloping site - 23, two-bed houses, 63, three-bed and 25, four-bed. Twelve are designed as 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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The 2019 Permisson application remains undetermined but if either are approved it would leave the majority of the remaining land for employment use.

The application for Gleeson, drawn up by Nineteen47, explains: "The neighbouring application to the east does not comprise committed residential development. The application was validated in December 2019 and since that time very limited progress has been made towards the determination of the application. There is no clear rationale for the delays and the application could yet be withdrawn or refused by the LPA, it cannot be relied upon to satisfy the housing requirement within the allocation. The proposed housing within this application could therefore contribute to the anticipated provision of housing within the Site."

The application also sets out why the land has not yet been developed for employment use.

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."

Network Space has led the successful Vector 31 industrial schemes at nearby Waleswood.

Also at Mansfield Road, agents Eddisons are currently marketing the former Dodds Transport yard which is adjacent to the undeveloped land.

Gleeson website
Persimmon website

Images: Google Maps

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News: Gleeson gets go ahead for £12m Rotherham housing scheme

The planning board at Rotherham Council has given its approval for Gleeson, the Sheffield-based urban regeneration and strategic land specialist, to help local people put down roots on a former allotment site with a £12m housing development.

Rothbiz reported last year that plans were being updated for the site at Dalton, which has been overgrown scrub land for a number of years.

The Council has led on the disposal of the site which was being sold under a tri-partite agreement between the relevant land owners.

The latest application now has full planning permission for the erection of 145 dwellings comprising a mix of two, three and four bedroom properties in the form of detached, semi-detached and terraced dwellings.

Gleeson focuses solely on building low cost homes and only builds affordable homes. It has developed a range of financial support packages for prospective buyers and makes use of Government incentives such as Help To Buy. With 65 sites in the North of England, it has previously built the popular Carlise Park development (pictured) with 381 new homes located between Kilnhurst and Swinton.

Based on comparable regeneration sites, the company expects that approximately 80% of new occupants at Dalton will be first time buyers, mainly from the local area.

Discussions with the Council have led to the applicant offering a Unilateral Undertaking to secure the affordable housing offer. In addition, the developers do not sell to landlords.

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Steve Gamble, land director at Gleeson Regeneration, said: "We specialise in the provision of low cost, for sale housing. We are giving customers at the lower end of the housing market a chance to afford to buy their own home.

"We take special care in determining prices that are affordable to as much of the local market as possible and always consult the Government's annual survey of earnings for a given area to ensure that both our two and three bed entry level prices are at a point that are affordable to at least 90% of local working couples.

"At this site it gets a little bit better because at Dalton we are offering all of our 39, two bed properties at a fixed price which will only be available to first time buyers under the age of 40. The prices of these homes will be capped throughout the development at a price of £95,000 with any annual sales price limited to no more than the annual percentage rise of the Government's national living wage rate.

"A two bed sold to a first time buyer with Help To Buy would reduce the initial mortgageable sum to £71,000. A weekly cost based on a fixed two year mortgage product would be just £52 a week. Yes these homes do require a 5% deposit, which is around £4,000, but once that is done, the mortgage repayments mean that these homes are much more affordable to young people than renting, or even renting a local authority house."

Gamble added that Gleeson is committed to using local apprentices on the scheme which will see an investment of around £12m - around a third will be on wages for directly employed labour or indirectly through suppliers and sub-contractors.

Construction on this site is expected to help to sustain or create 213 full time equivalent direct jobs during the anticipated six year construction phase.

MJ Gleeson website

Images: Edward Architecture / RMBC

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News: Gleeson advance plans for £12m Rotherham development

Gleeson, the Sheffield-based urban regeneration and strategic land specialist, is progressing plans for a multimillion pound housing development on Council land in Rotherham.

Around 4.14 hectares (10.22 acres) at Dalton Lane has been up for sale for a number of years. It was formerly used as allotment gardens and greenspace together with a former Council depot.

The local authority itself secured outline planning permission for 200 dwellings on a slightly larger area where the additional part of the site now has a Medical Centre constructed on it. The planning permission has lapsed but Gleeson Regeneration has recently submitted new plans for the site, which the Council now lists as being under offer.

The homes division of MJ Gleeson plc now specialises in the development of housing on brownfield land in the North of England. Selling from over 50 sites, it has previously built the popular Carlise Park development with 381 new homes located between Kilnhurst and Swinton (pictured above).

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The housing regeneration specialist works in challenging communities to build new homes for sale to people on low incomes. It is on track with its ambitious growth plans and continues to experience strong demand both in its established operating areas and in the new areas into which it is expanding. Reservations are at record levels.

For the Dalton site, the firm expects to build around 150 new houses with indicative plans showing a mix of two, three and four bedroom houses.

Discussions are ongoing with Rotherham Council over the exact provision of affordable housing on the site but Gleeson focuses solely on building low cost homes and only builds affordable homes. It has developed a range of financial support packages for prospective buyers and makes use of Government incentives such as Help To Buy.

The planning documents show that some £12m will be invested in the local area over the course of the development, if plans are approved, and over 200 jobs could be created. Rotherham Council, who are selling the land alongside Dalton Parish Council and the Diocese of Sheffield, stands to net over £500,000 if the deal concludes.

For the six months to December 31 2016, Gleeson's Homes division posted unaudited sales figures of £54.7m with profits of £8.4m.

MJ Gleeson plc website

Images: Gleeson / RMBC

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