Five big planning applications in the pipeline for Barnsley – from town centre travel hub to new school

Here are five of the biggest plans taking shape across the borough.

The Seam, County Way

Plans for a £23M project to regenerate the area around County Way and the Digital Media Centre in Barnsley’s town centre were revealed last March.

The project, named The Seam, will see a new multi-storey car park, public realm, and housing built in phases around the existing Digital Media Centre and County Way car parks.

The approved budget for The Seam is £23.72m which will be provided by Barnsley Council and the government’s future high streets fund.

The first stage of plans were submitted in December, for a £2m “active travel hub” on current car parking space on the corner of Eldon Street and Regent Street.

NHS Unit, Glassworks

Elsewhere in the town centre, an expansion is planned for an NHS unit in Barnsley’s Glassworks, following the success of a diagnostic hub which opened this year.

The current diagnostic hub opened in April, and provides mammography, ultrasound, X-ray and dexa scanning facilities, to provide easy access to services for patients.

It is the first of its kind in the country, utilising space in the Glassworks to take pressure off the hospital.

Barnsley Hospital NHS Trust hope to expand into three adjacent units to provide CT and MRI scanning facilities.

Lidl, Hoyland

Discount supermarket giant Lidl is expected to resubmit a planning application for a new store off Sheffield Road in Hoyland.

The German discount retailer originally submitted plans for a new store on Sheffield Road, off the Birdwell Roundabout, with a new access off Cross Keys Lane.

The plans were met with opposition from residents and ward councillors, and were withdrawn in December.

A Lidl spokesperson told the local democracy reporting service that they intend to resubmit a planning application this year.

Trinity Academy, Broadway

Plans for a new 900-pupil secondary school were approved in September last year, after almost a year of delays.

Trinity Academy St Edwards is already operating from temporary accommodation following delays, but the permanent school is set to open in September 2024.

It will accommodate 900 pupils aged 11-16 when at capacity, with 90 members of staff.

Trinity Academy, on the former Keresforth Centre off Broadway was originally scheduled to open in September 2021, but it was revealed that works had been delayed due to “unforeseen circumstances, beyond the council’s control”.

Old Mill Lane widening

One of Barnsley’s busiest roads will be widened to five lanes, in a bid to ease congestion.

Under the plans, lodged by the South Yorkshire Transport Executive, Old Mill Lane will be widened by an extra two lanes, one of which would be a bus lane.

A cycle and pedestrian path on either side of the carriageway will also be installed, and the bridge over the River Dearne will be widened by approximately 7m to accommodate the additional lanes.

The existing bridge currently comprises three lanes, with a pedestrian footway on either side of the carriageway.

The highway will be widened to provide five lanes each measuring 3.5m in width. This would include four vehicle lanes and a separate bus lane.