DETAILED plans to transform a former colliery site into a vast employment complex have been unveiled.
The 127-acre site, to the south of Dearne Valley Parkway in Hoyland, is being developed by Harworth Group supported by Johnson Mowat and The Harris Partnership and has been dubbed ‘Gateway 36’.
Outline planning permission has already been granted for phases two and three of the project, totalling 1.1m square feet of employment space across 95 acres.
And the new reserved matters application seeks approval for the first of three plots that will make up phase two, including details of that site - and indications of the two further developments and final third site.
The plans are within the Hoyland North Masterplan, one of the first to be adopted by Barnsley Council early last year, and are expected to yield 2,500 jobs.
Phase 2A.1 - which will be followed by phase 2A.2 and then 2B - will be accessed by a new adopted road from Shortwood Roundabout on Dearne Valley Parkway.
The access road has been designed to accommodate two new bus stops - and will also serve future residential development to the south of the site, planned to comprise 765 homes.
The first phase of employment land will consist of three buildings with a total internal area of 111,000 square feet.
The largest of these will be 49,500 square feet with one slightly smaller 38,500 square feet building and one site split into four equal units of 5,750 square feet.
Parking, turning heads and service yards will be included, as will 20 electric vehicle charging points and 30 cycle spaces.
It’s planned that where the development faces the road, areas of woodland will be ‘retained and enhanced’ with native tree species and scrub, and a new sustainable drainage pond with seating.
Existing public rights of way to the site’s southern border will be kept intact, while new footpaths will be created alongside Dearne Valley Parkway and around the new pond.
A planning statement said: “The proposed development will build on the success of the Gateway 36 in Barnsley and open
up more development plots for further investment.
“The site is easily accessible to all modes of transport and provides easy access within the site curtilage.
“This statement has explored the existing site and explained how the development can be brought forward with a sympathetic design in the existing context of the Gateway 36 and the Hoyland Masterplan.
“The proposal will respond well to the surrounding context and will protect the amenity of the existing residential properties nearby.
“The scheme will provide additional job opportunities and have a positive impact on the character and vibrancy of the local area, providing a contemporary addition to the street scene environment which is also sensitive to the local context.”
Harworth developed 145,248 square feet as part of phase one of Gateway 36 between 2015 and 2018, with four industrial units and one drive-through retail unit.
All three phases were made possible through £17.1m from the Sheffield City Region Investment Fund, which also paid for changes to the road layout including a new lane from the M1 slip road.
