Borough back to drawing board to meet homes target

Rotherham councillors have been told to double the number of houses being built in the borough

Rotherham councillors have been advised to draw up a new Local Plan and review the borough's green belt, after the government more than doubled the target for the number of homes that should be built.

Rotherham Council's current plan allows for 544 newly built homes per year, but under new national rules introduced in December the target has risen to 1,111.

The Local Plan is the blueprint which sets out where future housing, jobs and infrastructure should be built.

Planning inspectors have told the council the increase is so significant that a complete new plan is needed, rather than continuing with the part-finished update.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service it means Rotherham Council must now set out from scratch where thousands of extra homes, jobs and infrastructure will go, with a process stretching through to 2029 - which is expected to cost more than £1m.

A timetable going before cabinet on 15 September sets out the key stages, beginning in October 2026, with two rounds of public consultation in 2027 and 2028, before submission to the government at the end of 2028.

The plan would then be examined by inspectors in early 2029 and, if approved, adopted by the council in July that year.

A full review of the green belt will form part of the work, after the council secured £70,000 from a government grant to support the process.

The overall cost of producing the plan is expected to exceed £1m, with a further £77,000 contribution required for Rotherham's share of a new South Yorkshire Joint Waste Plan being drawn up with neighbouring councils.

Council officers warned that pressing on with the old work would almost certainly fail inspection, leaving Rotherham open to planning appeals and with less control over where development happens.

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