£5.7m housing development set to start as plans approved

Leeds & Yorkshire Housing Association (LYHA) is to build 54 new homes in Barnsley after plans for the scheme were approved.

Once completed, the development at Athersley South will be the largest new-build development that LYHA has undertaken for a number of years.

The £5.7m development will be part funded by a £2m Homes England grant and comprise eight apartments, six bungalows and 40 houses.

Five homes will be available for shared ownership and the remainder for affordable rent.

The development has been designed by Leeds-based architects, Acanthus WSM.

The development will be built by Engie and it is expected to take around 15 months, with completion scheduled for Autumn 2019.

The site is in the middle of an existing housing estate, next to Athersley South Primary School and LYHA is paying an education contribution to the school as part of the planning approval.

Mark Pearson, interim chief executive at LYHA, said: “Great care has been taken in the plans to ensure that the new homes will blend in with the surrounding area and I’m sure they will look fantastic. We have a great partnership with Barnsley Council and I am excited to be working together once again.”

Matt Gladstone, from Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council, added: “We need to build more than 21,000 homes over the next 20 years in Barnsley to make sure that there’s enough housing for our growing population and to help our economy to grow. Barnsley Council transferred the land to LYHA at a nil rate to enable the delivery of new homes, as well as investing £50,000 to make sure we get the right mix, tenure and quality of housing.  We are very pleased to be working in partnership with Leeds & Yorkshire Housing Association. They are one of our preferred development partners and the build will create employment and training opportunities for local people.”