Outline plans lodged for up to 260 homes

An outline planning application for a residential development has been submitted to Wakefield Council.

Banks Property has put forward proposals for an 11-hectare development on land to the east of the B6273 Wakefield Road in Hemsworth, which will include up to 260 homes.

Public open space will be made available as part of the development, while routes to Vale Head Park and Hemsworth Water Park, which both sit to the north of the site, will be explored to improve access to these leisure facilities.

Enhancements to the parks, including new footpath routes, are also being explored, while improvements would be made to the Station Road/B6273 Hemsworth town centre junction as part of the project.

Banks Property has held two surgery events in Hemsworth to introduce its plans to the community, with feedback gathered at the events being taken into account in the planning submission.

Kate Culverhouse, community relations manager at the Banks Group, said: “We’ve worked hard to share as much information as possible about this project across the local community and are very pleased to be reaching this stage of its development.

“There is a clear and increasingly pressing need across the UK to increase the available supply of quality homes, including in this popular part of West Yorkshire, and our site’s proximity to schools, shops and other local services makes it a logical northern extension to the existing community.

“We firmly believe this is a wholly suitable location for the high-quality development that we’re proposing, and hope Wakefield Council’s planning committee will recognise its many merits when it comes to consider our planning application.”