Developers in talks with Barnsley Council on Penistone town centre redevelopment

28 July 2006

Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council has entered into a period of exclusive negotiations with Barnsley based developers Dransfield Properties to deliver the long awaited redevelopment of Penistone town centre.

Subject to negotiations being concluded and planning permission being secured, the scheme will deliver a Tesco foodstore within the town centre with 194 parking spaces, a mixture of one and two bedroom apartments, a new retail market and the refurbishment of residential properties on Regents Gardens which are currently derelict and adjoin the conservation area. The proposed development will be in line with the published planning brief, made public by the council last year after extensive consultation.

Subject to securing planning approval, the developers propose to build brand new stations for the fire and ambulance services which will be affected by the redevelopment.

Once the final details of the scheme design are complete, the plans will be the subject of further extensive consultation. This will include a presentation to Penistone Town Council on Wednesday, September 20 and a public exhibition which will be held on Thursday, September 21 at Penistone Community Centre. A computerised ‘virtual tour’ of how the development will look will be shown at these events.

As part of the consultation process, members of the local community will be asked to comment on the design of the foodstore, as the architects will be producing two possible designs - one modern and the other traditional.

Mark Dransfield, Managing Director of Dransfield Properties, said: “We are delighted to be in negotiations with Barnsley Council in delivering the redevelopment of Penistone town centre. We are fully aware that this is a sensitive area and any plans we put forward will be the subject of extensive consultation with local stakeholders, and organisations such as English Heritage.

“We have extensive experience of bringing forward redevelopment schemes in traditional market towns and are looking forward to working with the local community and redeveloping Penistone town centre in the style and character appropriate for the town.

“We have fully considered the planning brief and have considered wider issues than those contained within the brief which will hopefully give rise to a comprehensive redevelopment of the town centre.

“Local stakeholders in the community heavily influenced the planning brief and we are intending to build on these issues and come forward with a scheme everyone can be proud of.”

For further information, contact:

Public Relations Department, Dransfield Properties Ltd
Tel: 01226 360644
Email: pr@dransfield.co.uk