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Appeal launched over rejected 200-home plan
AN appeal has been lodged after Barnsley Council sided with dozens of residents against the proposed construction of more than 200 new homes in Carlton.
The plans to build the 215 houses north of Shaw Lane were knocked back by Barnsley Council’s planning board last year following a number of concerns from residents.
The site consists of a 7.57-hectare area of land that forms part of MU3 and the Carlton ‘masterplan framework’.
This parcel of...
Four commended for trying to save young dad’s life
FOUR selfless Barnsley residents have been commended by South Yorkshire Police after attempting to save the life of a young dad who had been stabbed.
On August 9 last year, 28-year-old dad-of-two Daniel Micska was stabbed to death by Daniel Balazs who plunged a 12cm knife into his chest on Newton Street in the town centre.
Jonathan Maw, Elaine Priestley, Gillian Austin and Michelle Dyson all came to assist Daniel as they tried to stop...
Rita Britton revives iconic fashion brand
STYLE guru Rita Britton has revived her iconic fashion brand Pollyanna - and started designing and making clothes in Barnsley again.
Rita, who opened her first fashion emporium in the town centre in 1967, has come out of semi-retirement to relaunch the brand with daughter-in-law Michelle Underwood.
This time around, the pair will focus entirely on the design and manufacture of their own collection, selling direct to Rita’s long list of loyal customers - and,...
Couple share a passion for pottery
A MARRIED couple with a lifelong fairytale romance have built a career from their passion for pottery - and now have a unique opportunity to sell it at Yorkshire Sculpture Park.
Matt and Catherine West, originally from the town centre and Silkstone respectively, share a love story that could be turned into a film.
Meeting as teenagers, the couple travelled across the country together for university studies before settling back down in Sheffield.
Matt, 36,...
Dan smashes £15k London Marathon target
BARNSLEY Central MP Dan Jarvis smashed his £15,000 fundraising target whilst running the London Marathon last weekend.
Dan was raising funds for Cancer Research UK, a charity close to his heart.
He said he knows from his own personal experience the ‘devastation’ cancer can cause - but he was also hoping to raise awareness about the ‘critical importance’ of early detection.
Dan aimed to raise £15,000 for the charity, and he’s now surpassed that target....
Discarded needles hinder town centre clean-up
WORK to tidy up a litter-strewn area near a town centre supermarket is stepping up.
Concerns around Morrisons, on Westway, and its surrounding areas have been brought up by local residents and shoppers.
Amid claims that the waste had attracted vermin, it’s now been confirmed that work to boost its appearance had started.
The Chronicle understands that discarded needles believed to have been involved in drug-taking have hindered progress since complaints were made in February....
Highways bosses defend crossing decision
A DECISION to remove a traffic light-controlled pedestrian crossing from a village’s busy centre - condemned by locals who blamed Barnsley Council for jeopardising shoppers’ safety - has been defended by highways bosses.
The crossing, on Barnsley Road in Cudworth, was deemed no longer necessary.
The Chronicle can reveal it will be moved elsewhere in the village to School Street, near Cherry Dale Primary, but shoppers blasted the council for removing the ‘essential feature’ from...
Hopes Monckton tipping woes are finally over
A PROBE into ‘large-scale’ fly-tipping left at a former coking plant - which saw Barnsley Council take action against the landowner when fire chiefs stepped in following a spate of arson incidents - has resulted in the site finally being cleared.
The council issued an enforcement notice against Monckton Developments in Royston following pressure from residents, South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue and the Environment Agency.
The notice allowed an eight-month period of time for bosses...
Peggy still loves a party at 100
CENTENARIAN Margaret Riley’s face lit up when she saw her grandchildren at her 100th birthday party on Sunday.
Known to her friends and family as Peggy, the 100-year-old was thrilled with how her party at Dearne Valley Care Centre turned out.
Some of her nearest and dearest were on hand to offer their well-wishes, and the staff at the care home said her face ‘lit up’ when she saw her grandchildren.
Wendy Warburton, senior care...
GP recruitment must match house building
A UNION which represents the town’s doctors said there is ‘little point’ in seeing through plans to build thousands of new homes in Barnsley over the next decade - unless provisions are in place to boost the amount of GPs available.
The British Medical Association (BMA) say the town’s GPs already face unmanageable workloads without the 21,000 extra homes which are pencilled in up to 2033.
On average, each fully qualified GP in the town...
Big push to reduce vaping and smoking
A MAJOR public health intervention which will prevent youngsters from buying cigarettes and vapes has been backed by a Barnsley MP who hopes the move will reduce the town’s rising addiction rates.
A vote on the Tobacco and Vapes Bill took place in Parliament on Tuesday, which makes it an offence to sell tobacco-based products to anyone born on or after January 1, 2009.
It also aims to make vapes less appealing to children after...
New SEND centre to open in autumn
A NEW centre which will provide a much-needed education setting for youngsters with special needs aged between five and eight is set to open in the autumn, it was revealed this week.
Following a previous decision made by Barnsley Council’s ruling cabinet members, approval was given for the demolition of the former Stairfoot Family Centre in order to create a new facility to accommodate up to 15 children.
A key element of the local authority’s...
Report reveals why grass is greener in Barnsley
RESIDENTS in almost every area of Barnsley have better access to green spaces compared with nearly anywhere else in the country, new figures have revealed.
The Ramblers a charity for walkers researched the extent of green rights of way across England using satellite observations of land cover.
The figures show how accessible green space is in Barnsley with three of the town’s four constituencies ranking higher than almost anywhere else in the country.
The statistics...
‘Progress slow’ in former pit villages
SCARS in Barnsley’s former coalfield communities which remain 40 years after the miners’ strike are still impacting residents’ quality of life, a ground-breaking inquiry has concluded.
‘The State of the Coalfields 2024’ is the third report commissioned by the Coalfields Regeneration Trust, following studies in 2014 and 2019.
It found that although there has been job growth in the former coalfields such as Grimethorpe, the rate of growth has been far slower than in villages...
London Marathon couple in Top 50 double
GARETH Cooke and Naomi Drakeford might just be the country’s fastest couple after the duo both finished in the top 50 at the London Marathon on Sunday.
The pair, both 30 and living in Wilthorpe, run for Barnsley Athletics Club during the week and admit the household is very competitive. And after Gareth’s personal best of 2-24-35 which earned him 48th place and Naomi’s local record of 2-46-50 which meant she was the 25th women...
George Orwell‘s stay in Barnsley marked by plaque
A BLUE plaque commemorating George Orwell’s Barnsley links is set to be unveiled to the public later today - much to the delight of those at the Barnsley Civic Trust who have worked tirelessly to ensure the event goes ahead.
Orwell stayed in Barnsley during 1936 to see for himself the living conditions of working class people.
He stayed on Agnes Terrace - which runs between Day Street and Pond Street, off Agnes Road -...
Academy turns its fortunes around with ‘good’ rating
OFSTED inspectors have handed a ‘good’ rating to Netherwood Academy.
The secondary school, in Wombwell, has been given the education watchdog’s second-highest mark having been told it required improvement just three years ago.
Inspectors highlighted that the school is ‘determined to improve the life chances of its pupils’ and commended the leadership at Netherwood, which is under the wing of the Astrea Academy Trust.
Ofsted also found that staff are ‘extremely positive’ about th
Kes statue group ‘distance themselves’ from new sculpture plans
A GROUP of residents behind the town centre’s Kes statue have distanced themselves from a council scheme which will see a six-foot-five ‘sculpture’ placed in Hoyland Common.
In memory of ‘A Kestrel for a Knave’ author Barry Hines, the statue a life-size bronze sculpture of Billy Casper, as played by David ‘Dai’ Bradley in the 1969 film adaptation, holding his kestrel was unveiled to the public in 2021.
Sculptor Graham Ibbeson was part of the...
Prison manager jailed over relationship with inmate
A HIGH-FLYING prison manager from Barnsley has been jailed after getting into a relationship with an inmate and intimidating fellow colleagues into silence.
Suspicions grew around the conduct of custodial manager Lauren Miller, of May Close, Thurnscoe, when she was seen in a prisoner's cell at HMP Doncaster and spent long periods of time in there with him.
Rumours escalated further when the pair were regularly seen in the lift together and when...
Remember to take your photo ID to vote
RESIDENTS in Barnsley are being urged to remember their ID when they go to vote next Thursday.
Voters will need to show photo ID at polling stations before they can receive their ballot paper.
Accepted forms of ID include a UK, European Economic Area (EEA) or Commonwealth passport; a drivers’ licence, including provisional; some concessionary travel passes, such as an older person’s bus pass or disabled person’s pass; and the new free Voter Authority Certificate....
Hard work pays off for young achiever Luke
A BARNSLEY building material specialist has been recognised for his commitment to the industry.
Luke Hoyle, who’s based out at Carlton Manufacturing, has been named as one of the top 100 young achievers across the sector.
National trade body the Builders’ Merchants’ Federation (BMF) and Builders’ Merchants News (BMN), joined forces to identify the top 100 across the multi-billion pound building materials sector, and shine a light on the brightest stars of the future.
L
Barnsley fans hoping for TV moment of fame
A PAIR of Barnsley FC fans will be hoping the Reds can secure their place in the League One play-offs tomorrow for more than one reason.
Alison Hirst, 62, and her mum 90-year-old Audrey Brook, of Pogmoor, will arrive at Barnsley’s final game of the season tomorrow at Oakwell knowing a win would not only book the Reds a play-off place but also a spot on TV screens across the country.
They were selected by...
Live music venue plans for Priory Campus
THE centre that played a key role in defeating coronavirus is to get a new lease of life as a venue for live music and sporting events.
Priory Campus at Lundwood was where thousands of Barnsley people got their Covid vaccines.
At the peak of the pandemic, long queues of patients snaked around the car park to get their jabs.
Barnsley Healthcare Federation owns the building which is already being used as a venue for...
Man jailed for engaging in sexual activity with underage Barnsley girl
A MAN who engaged in sexual activity with an underage Barnsley girl and threatened to kill her if she told anyone has been jailed.
Mohammed Qasim, 38, of Sable Crest, Bradford, appeared before Sheffield Crown Court last week for sentencing after admitting to engaging in sexual activity with a 15-year-old girl in the back of a van.
Qasim, who told his victim he would buy her things if she kept quiet, was jailed...
Business park sold to tenant in multi-million pound deal
A BUSINESS park in Penistone has been sold in a multi-million-pound deal.
Over the past two years, Fairfield Business Park has been fully developed from being unoccupied into a thriving hub by family-run, Barnsley-based property and land specialists, Fairbank Investments Ltd.
The park has been bought by international packaging business Neal Brothers, for a seven-figure sum.
Located in the heart of Penistone, the historic former David Brown plant shut at the end of 2020 when...
Katie says it with flower after shop dream comes true
A FLORIST is thanking the community who helped her make the ‘pipe dream’ shop come true by giving out free bouquets.
Katie Jo Brown - who runs Bloemist Family Florist on High Street, Bolton-upon-Dearne, with her mother Jean Hackett - has been placing bouquets around the community since she opened the store in July.
The small gesture has been her way of giving back to a community that allowed her and her mother to open...
Police appeal over jewellery stolen in burglary
POLICE have launched an investigation following a reported burglary in Hoyland last month.
It’s reported that at around 10.58pm, on Sunday March 17, a property on Wood Walk had been broken into.
It is alleged that an Audi Q5 had been stolen along with sentimental pieces of distinctive jewellery.
An investigation has since been launched and the vehicle has since been recovered and returned to its owners.
Two men aged 19 and 21 were arrested...
Jake overcomes his unlucky break to help club
A YOUNG rugby league player isn’t letting an unlucky break stop him raising funds for his club.
Twelve-year-old Jake Hallas, who plays for Dodworth Miners’ Welfare, originally planned to take on a half marathon in February to help the rugby league team pay for new equipment.
However, Jake broke his wrist so was unable to complete the challenge.
Dad Paul said: “He originally set the challenge for February 25 but he broke...
Young table tennis players had a weekend they'll never forget
YOUNG Barnsley table tennis players had a weekend they’ll never forget when world-renowned stars from the sport visited the town to help them hone their skills.
Over the course of the weekend, Barnsley Table Tennis Club welcomed Swedish head coach Christian Björklund and Mark Mitchell from premier club St Neots in Cambridge to lead coaching sessions at Hope House Church on Blucher Street.
Both players have had experience at the highest levels...
Steelers’ star helps family’s fundraising journey for Oliver
THE family of a Gawber youngster who died of terminal cancer last year have received a match-worn Sheffield Steelers’ jersey to continue their fundraising journey in his memory.
Oliver Howe, eight, was first diagnosed with cancer in September 2020 and, despite everything, always had a smile on his face.
After ringing the cancer treatment bell in 2021, the disease devastatingly returned later that year and he died on February 1, 2023.
His parents, David and...
Residents ‘went into a chaotic and frightening scene’
FOUR selfless residents who fought to save the life of a young dad have been thanked by his brother.
The four members of the public have been commended by South Yorkshire Police for their bravery and compassion after desperately trying to help the 28-year-old who had been stabbed in a Barnsley street.
On August 9 2023, Daniel Micska was stabbed to death by cowardly Daniel Balazs who plunged a 12cm knife into his...
Barnsley farms could fuel thousands of homes
WIND and solar farms in Barnsley could fuel thousands of homes, new research suggests.
Estimates from the National Grid suggest the UK must double the amount of renewable electricity it produces over the next six years to replace energy phased out from fossil fuels.
Climate and energy charity Friends of the Earth has called on all political parties to pledge to lift restrictions on onshore wind farms.
The campaign group said the...
Pupils play their part in village history board
LOCAL councillors met with pupils of Gawber Primary School to unveil a new history board the school had made.
Members of the school council, with help from deputy headteacher Rachel Knox, the Gawber History Group and designer David Exley, designed the board that includes information about the school’s past, present and future.
This is the latest in a series of history boards in Gawber produced by the history group with ward alliance support....
New app aims to help youngsters facing surgery
A NEW app will help enhance children’s experiences of having surgery at Barnsley Hospital.
The Little Journey smart phone app will give local children a tour of the waiting room to the operating room - to help ease youngsters’ fears and concerns before they head to the Gawber Road site.
Dr Andy Leeson, who was a key driver in creating the app, said: “Children coming in to hospital for a procedure is a big deal...
Liver disease figures at all-time high
THE number of people admitted to Barnsley Hospital for liver disease has almost doubled in the last year, new figures have revealed.
Office for Health Improvement and Disparities figures show there were 435 hospital admissions for liver disease in 2022/23, up from 330 the year before.
It was also an increase from 265 hospital admissions in 2012/13.
All figures are rounded to the nearest five.
Excessive alcohol consumption is one of the main drivers of...
Town marks workers’ memorial day
BARNSLEY Trades Union Council will be marking Workers’ Memorial Day on Friday - with the town’s MPs on hand to deliver speeches on the day.
There will be a short memorial rally on the town hall steps at 12noon.
The event will be opened by Mayor of Barnsley Coun Mick Stowe, with local MPs Stephanie Peacock and Dan Jarvis attending making short speeches along with local trade unionists.
The speeches will be followed by the...
New homeless figures revealed
MORE than 360 young people contacted Barnsley Council last year after becoming homeless, new figures have revealed.
Councils are obligated to assess anyone who seeks homelessness support.
This means issuing a prevention duty, stopping them from becoming homeless if they are deemed to be at risk, or a relief duty, where the authority must help an already homeless applicant secure accommodation for at least six months.
Research from the charity Centrepoint and WPI Economics shows...
Hannah to celebrate graduation headlining at Tramlines
A BARNSLEY musician will be celebrating her graduation in an unusual way - by headlining Tramlines.
Hannah Rowe, from Penistone, is currently in her final year studying music at Leeds Conservatoire, and is set to graduate in just a few months’ time.
But while most of her classmates will be at the pub enjoying a well-earned pint, Hannah will be travelling to Sheffield to perform at the massive Tramlines festival on Friday July 26.
“I...
Josh has sights set on being Barnsley’s first F1 driver
A CUDWORTH karting prodigy has said he won’t let having autism hold him back - and he’s determined to become the first Formula One driver from Barnsley.
Josh Whittaker, 13, has always been into his cars - but his first time behind the wheel was only began two years ago.
But that hasn’t stopped him rising to the top, and he’s currently competing in the National Championships for the Global Karting Outdoor League.
His mum...
Children’s home gets go-ahead
PLANS to create a children’s home in Hoyland have been approved by Barnsley Council’s planning board - less than a year after the local authority originally rejected the plans.
A bid to turn a property on Primrose Way into a new children’s care home for two kids was submitted to the council last year.
They would be living in the proposed premises need additional support to live within the community due to a variety of...
Life by the river Dearne: Fashion and leisure in Barnsley
If you enjoy leisurely strolls along river embankments and listening to nature in all its hustle and bustle as you walk with the sun beaming down on you then making the most of those moments means spending as much time there as possible. This also hints that you may well be doing a lot of walking and certainly clocking in those desired miles and steps, so the proper footwear is a must.
Too often...
Review reveals slowdown in house-building in Barnsley
A SLOWDOWN in the house-building sector has been identified in Barnsley - despite council bosses insisting the blueprint for future development in the town is ‘still achieving its objectives’ following a review earlier into its effectiveness this year.
A total of 7,099 homes were built in the borough between April 2014 and April 2023, but ambitions to treble that figure by 2033 could fall short.
Figures from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities...
Charity has 10,000 more reasons to thank supermarket
ELDERLY patients at Barnsley Hospital will have their ward experiences improved thanks to a five-figure grant from a local supermarket.
The £10,000 donation, from the Morrisons Foundation, was celebrated by the Barnsley Hospital Charity this week as it will pay for new televisions, furniture, games and soft furnishings - all helping to create a family room for visitors.
Jane Mills, from the hospital, said: “We’re so pleased to have received such a generous grant from...
Enterprising kids work hard for school trip
PRIMARY school pupils have been raising money to fund an end-of-year trip to Whitby.
The year sixes at Gawber Primary School split into three groups where they created their own business names, logos and plans to raise money for the trip.
Over five weeks they worked hard in the school’s enterprise club, during playtimes and in their own time to make sure they had products ready to sell.
On March 19, parents and families were...
Toddler Elsie is mum’s ‘little miracle’
A MIRACLE toddler who was born at just 23 weeks - and weighed the same as a tin of beans - returned to Barnsley Hospital this week almost two years to the day since she was discharged.
Amy Dutton, 35, who lives off Summer Lane in the town centre, found out in 2021 that she was expecting identical twin girls.
Her first few appointments at the hospital went well but she admits that at the...
Knife-point robbery victim Pat won’t let the criminals win
THE elderly owner of a fish and chip shop who has given 44 years’ service to her community has vowed to not let criminals win the day - despite being held at knifepoint during a robbery last week.
Stoic Pat Hubery, who runs and lives above Dearne Road Fisheries in Bolton-upon-Dearne, was watching television on Friday night when she heard a noise.
Having gone to investigate, a robber burst through the door, brandishing a knife...