News: Further funding for new houses on brownfield land in Rotherham

More than 3,700 new high-quality homes are being built on brownfield land across South Yorkshire, thanks to £65m from the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority’s (SYMCA) Brownfield Housing Fund (BHF).

After six years of operation, the fund is supporting 45 developments - unlocking land, funding infrastructure, accelerating construction, and enabling homes that simply wouldn’t have been built without SYMCA’s backing.

The fund has a focus on supporting work including early infrastructure, site clearance, decontamination and installation of the necessary utilities – and has included the building of more than 700 social and affordable homes.

In Rotherham, the most recent awards included £640,000 for the redevelopment of the former Fosters Garden Centre site in Thrybergh. Approved plans from Avant Homes incorporates the erection of 25 dwellings with the conversion of the former agricultural buildings and listed building into an additional seven dwellings in a town house arrangement.

At Waverley in Rotherham, Yorkshire's largest brownfield development, £1.55m was awarded for one of the last remaining plots. Brought forward by Strata, the £8.44m project involves 177 dwellings on a plot of land known as Plot 4 or Waverley Railside.

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South Yorkshire’s Mayor Oliver Coppard said: “We know we need more homes to offer the strong foundations our families and communities deserve across South Yorkshire.

“Through our Brownfield Housing Fund we’re creating thousands of better homes. I want developments that attract investment, create spaces for new businesses and offer more affordable housing – and that’s exactly what we’re doing.

“Transforming derelict sites and bringing buildings that reflect our heritage back into use opens up new opportunities to unleash our communities’ full potential.

“We’re rebuilding the pride, purpose and prosperity of South Yorkshire -making sure thousands more people can get on the property ladder, so even more can stay near and go far.”

Environmentally friendly homes have been at the heart of the BHF to help reduce energy bills and minimise negative environmental impacts, with 2,400 of the homes having solar panels and 1,400 homes having heat pumps installed.

Nine schemes of around 1,000 homes also have Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems to help reduce the impacts of surface water flooding, with other schemes adopting more traditional drainage schemes to reduce flood risk.

SYMCA has recently secured a further £118m from April this year from the National Housing Development Fund, to continue supporting the development of new housing across South Yorkshire.

SYMCA website

Images: Avant

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News: New housebuilder set for Waverley

Another housebuilder looks set to take on one of the large remaining development plots at the Waverley regeneration site in Rotherham.

At Yorkshire's largest ever brownfield mixed-use development, Harworth Group is transforming the former Orgreave coal mining site in to a new sustainable community that will comprise up to 3,890 homes, shops, restaurants, a primary school, and leisure and community facilities, including 310-acres of green open space.

Rothbiz reported in 2024 on planning approval for 177 dwellings on a plot of land known as Plot 4 or Waverley Railside.

At the time, the applicant was master developer, Harworth Group, but now newly submitted plans relating to the site have come in from Strata.

Strata Homes is a huge regional house builder operating across Yorkshire and the East Midlands. It has Rotherham developments in nearby Catcliffe and has been progressing plans for Kiveton Park.

At Waverley, the Strata site is bound by Highfield Spring to the north, the Sheffield-Worksop-Lincoln railway to the south, and industrial units to the east and west. It is adjacent to the site of a potential Waverley train station.

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With a mix of housing sizes, from 1 bed to 4 bed, the approved plans include 113 affordable housing units on the site (63.8%), including five 4-bed affordable dwellings and 12 1-bed affordable dwellings.

A recently submitted construction management plan states: "Strata aim to commence works on site in Spring 2026 with an expected build programme duration of around 4 years (subject to build and market conditions)."

Strata joins a number of housebuilders on the site where only a few large plots remain undeveloped. These include Avant Homes, Barratt Homes, Sky-House, Harron Homes, Forge New Homes, Honey and Taylor Wimpey.

Strata has previously acquired land for residential development from Harworth in Castleford.

Harworth Group plc is a listed Rotherham-based company. A recent update to the stock exchange stated that it had sold 1,837 total plots, with an additional 155 plots due to complete imminently, despite what it called "residential market weakness" during the financial year.

Strata website
Harworth Group website

Images: Harworth Group

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News: £13.2m housing development set for Catcliffe

Great Places and Strata have started work on a new development of 76 affordable homes on land off Blue Mans Way at Catcliffe in Rotherham, following planning approval.

The £13.2mscheme, the inaugural partnership project for Great Places and Strata, will transform redundant scrub land into a high-quality, new housing development.

The scheme will provide a range of homes for Affordable Rent and Shared Ownership and drive tenure diversification in the area.

The scheme will comprise a mix of two-bed apartments, alongside one, two, three and four-bed houses with 29 available for shared ownership and 47 for affordable rent.

The one-bed houses are an innovative addition to the site, and offer a one-bed housing option with private garden and the increased versatility of a house.

The shared ownership will be available through Plumlife Homes.

The plans were approved without going in front of Rotherham Council's planning board, despite a number of objections.

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Helen Spencer, Director of Development at Great Places, said: “We’re pleased to be working in partnership with Strata to deliver this new scheme. It is a great example of what can be achieved through effective partnership work.

“This exciting new development really has something to offer everyone. It’s perfect for couples and young professionals looking for a new home in a great location and only a short commute from Rotherham and Sheffield.

“The demand for this type of affordable housing continues to be high and Great Places remains committed to creating great homes in all of the areas we operate in. Catcliffe compliments our current work in the local area, and we’re sure it will prove popular.”

Mark Leaf, Land and Planning Director at Strata, added: “We are excited to be working collaboratively with Great Places to deliver high-quality, new homes in the area. The project marks Strata’s move to deliver homes as a contractor using our new partnership model.

“As a Yorkshire-based business, we are also committed to helping boost the housing offer for local people and are pleased to transform redundant scrubland into a thriving new community.”

The development is due to take around two years to complete.

Great Places website

Images: Great Places / Strata

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News: Housebuilders update plans for large Rotherham developments

National housebuilders, Strata and Redrow, have updated their respective plans for two large housing developments in Rotherham - at Ravenfield and Kiveton.

At Ravenfield, Redrow has submitted details for a planned development of over 300 houses on land at Moor Lane South.

An outline application for the erection of up to 320 No. dwellinghouses on a large field was approved by Rotherham Council in February.

The new application for the 14.40 hectare site provides details for approval regarding the house types. 303 houses are planned, 76 are to be classed as affordable. The size of houses range from three to five bedroom.

Access into the development is proposed via two simple priority T-junctions onto the B6093 Moor Lane South.

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Resubmitting plans for Kiveton Park, Strata Homes, is hoping to secure planning permission for close to 200 new homes on land at Chapel Way / Stockwell Avenue. The scheme was recommended for approval, but was refused by Rotherham Council’s planning board in June, on the grounds of ecology and traffic concerns.

The application site comprises approximately 10.16 hectares of land between Kiveton Community Woodland and the existing housing estate. Currently comprising of arable land with a dense landscaped edge to the south, the site was put forward as residential use in the approved Local Development Plan.

The application is unchanged but consultants say that they now have "additional supporting information has been provided to respond to the matters raised by RMBC Members at the Planning Committee and through the reasons for refusal."

With a number of mitigation measures, the plans state that: "The proposed development will not have a negative impact on the biodiversity of the site, the immediate surrounding area & local wildlife habitats."

The transport assessment, which Rotherham Council officers were happy with, is described as a "robust document of which demonstrates that the local network can accommodate the vehicular movements created from this development in line with the requirements of the NPPF [national planning policy] & Local Development Plan."

Local councillor, Domonic Beck, said at the previous planning board meeting: "To say there will be a negligible impact on the road network is insulting and not true."

Redrow website
Strata Homes website

Images: Google Maps

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News: Further large Rotherham housing developments planned

Further planning applications have been submitted for hundreds of new houses across Rotherham.

Rothbiz reported last month that plans had been submitted by Barratt Homes in Dinnington, Bellway Homes in Swallownest and Avant Homes at Waverley.

Now a number of seperate planning applications have been submitted to Rotherham Council for sites across the borough.

At Kiveton Park, Strata Homes, is hoping to secure planning permission for close to 200 new homes on land at Chapel Way / Stockwell Avenue.

The application site comprises approximately 10.16 hectares of land between Kiveton Community Woodland and the existing housing estate. Currently comprising of arable land with a dense landscaped edge to the south, the site was put forward as residential use in the approved Local Development Plan.

The local plan had the site capable of some 268 homes but the Strata application is for 196 - a mix of detached, semi-detached and terraced units. It includes provision for affordable units, totalling 49 units and 147 open market units.

Pegasus, consultants for the housebuilder, state in the plans: "The scheme seeks to bring forward a viable scheme on a longstanding residential allocation. It is considered that the scheme will achieve the viable implementation of housing in Kiveton and will be a positive contribution to the Council’s housing delivery targets."

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Strata is also involved with progressing plans for new houses at Blue Man's Way in Catcliffe. In partnership with Strata, Great Places Housing is intending to access grant funding from Homes England to enable the 100% provision of affordable housing on the site.

Close to the Parkway and Morrison's, using the area for housing is contentious and a 2016 application for 64 houses was refused but later approved at appeal in February 2017. Nearby land to the south of the Site, adjacent to Morrison’s, has planning permission for 85 dwellings which is being delivered by Barratts as The Glassworks development.

The latest plans are for 76 dwellings, for shared ownership and rent, and will comprise a range of 1, 2, 3 and 4-bedroom units.

Residents of Blue Man's Way continue to register opposition to the plans to use the road as the main access to the new site.

At Dinnington, an outline application has been submitted for 46 houses on land to the rear 166 Swinston Hill Road. The site is near to where Taylor Wimpey secured planning permission for 157 houses last year.

The latest plans, from London-based T&J Wilkinson, are a revision of earlier plans for up to 35 houses.

In the North of the borough, Rothbiz understands that a national housebuilder has begun developing plans for a large number of houses at Pontefract Road / Barnsley Road.

Images: Google Maps

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News: Rotherham housing scheme secures Kickstart funding

A stalled housing development in Rotherham has secured £1.4m from the government that will enable it to get back on track.

Strata's "Colours" development in Manvers, Rotherham was shortlisted in December and following a due diligence process, the funding will now be used to create 58 homes.

This support is not a handout though and comes on tough terms, with much of the money expected to be repaid within five years. Developers have also had to pass stringent value for money assessments carried out by the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) to prove that each taxpayer pound is well spent.

As part of the Government's drive to make new homes cleaner and greener, priority has been given to those schemes which are set to meet high environmental standards, with the overwhelming majority of successful schemes meeting at least Level 3 of the Code for Sustainable Homes.

It is also a requirement that those receiving funding must provide apprenticeships and opportunities for local workers.

Housing Minister and Wentworth Mp John Healey said: "We're putting the weight of Government investment into building much-needed affordable homes, keeping people in work and giving young people a chance of apprenticeships.

In this recession, the Government has not stepped back and left the homes and jobs we need to the market. We're using public funding to keep Britain building through the downturn."

Rosie Winterton, Minister for Yorkshire and The Humber, added: "It is a further demonstration of the Government's commitment to meeting the housing needs of many families and prospective first time buyers in Yorkshire and The Humber. It will also support the construction industry and create local jobs and apprenticeships."

Strata website
Rotherham

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