Houses to be demolished for new council homes

Two streets of terraced housing in Goldthorpe will be demolished to make way for council houses

Two streets of terraced housing in South Yorkshire will be demolished to make way for new council houses.

Barnsley Council’s Cabinet approved the plans for Goldthorpe, in Barnsley, on Wednesday.

Under the plans, 30 houses across two streets will be demolished, and nine two and three-bedroom council houses will be built, along with new pavements, street lighting and trees.

Council leader Sir Steve Houghton said the scheme was “hugely important” for the area where about 10,000 people were on the council house waiting list.

The council will use its compulsory purchasing order (CPO) powers to buy 16 homes, where the owners have not been identified, in order for the project to move forward.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the council said if it cannot purchase the homes it could lose government funding for the scheme.

It added that jobs would be created during construction, and the scheme would lead to a reduction in the number of empty properties and turnover of private rented properties in Goldthorpe, it added.

The new homes will also be designed to create a “safe living environment with reduced levels of antisocial behaviour, fly-tipping and crime”, the council said in a report for the meeting.

The council will now apply to the Secretary of State to acquire the land where the ownership is unknown “as a measure of last resort”, it added.