Wickersley Consultation

The Applicant is preparing an outline planning application (with access details provided and all other matters reserved) for the development of up to 136 residential units on land located to the west of St Albans Way, Wickersley in Rotherham. 

The proposal is accompanied by an indicative layout and will provide a mix of high-quality homes in a sustainable location for growth.  

Richborough was founded in 2003 and is one of the UK’s most successful specialist land promotion businesses, supplying consented land to the property and construction industry to accelerate the delivery of new homes and jobs. It is a founding member of the Land, Planning and Development Federation and a member of the British Property Federation and Home Builders Federation. 

Richborough works in partnership with private and public sector landowners to promote land via the planning system for residential, commercial, and mixed-use development. It interacts daily with Local Planning Authorities, local stakeholders and statutory consultees. It focuses heavily on place-making, local communities and complementing and enhancing existing infrastructure. The Richborough land promotion model incentivises all parties to seek an allocation in the emerging plan and secure outline planning permission at the earliest opportunity, following which the preferred development partner will seek reserved matters consent, commence construction and build out the scheme at the earliest opportunity. It has an extensive track record which can be viewed on its website found below: 

View website here

LSH are appointed as Agents for the application on behalf of Richborough. 

The site is located to the west of St Albans Way, Wickersley and a Site Location Plan can be found below: 

Site Plan

The site has an established access to the north-east of the site.

The surrounding land uses include:

• North – Residential properties, including Brecklands, Air Mount Close and Gorseland Court, A631 (Bawtry Road). 
• South – Greenfield land, located in the designated Green Belt. 
• East – Residential properties, including St Albans Way, Sorby Way, Rose Court and Church Field Drive. 
• West – Wickersley Gorse and Common Bank hiking area, and greenfield land located in the designated Green Belt. 

The site is located in a predominantly residential area (to the north and east) and greenfield Green Belt land to the south and west. Full details of the site and its boundaries can be found on the submitted Site Location Plan. 

The site is currently undeveloped and has no known planning history. The site is allocated as ‘Safeguarded Land’, as it was removed from the Green Belt through the adoption of the current Local Plan and is allocated to meet future development needs. 

The site is well connected to local services and facilities that would support the needs of future residents. These include a Wickersley School and Sports College, Listerdale Junior Academy, Well Pharmacy, Rose Court Surgery GP Surgery, Wickersley Rotherham Dental Practice, Post Office Wickersley and Aldi supermarket, among many others.

The proposed description of development is for an ‘Outline Application with means of Access for a Residential Development, with all other Matters Reserved’. 

The proposal includes the provision of up to 136 high-quality residential units and the application will be accompanied by an Indicative Layout, which can be found below

View Indicative Plan here 

The proposals include a 25% provision of affordable housing. 

The layout has been influenced by several factors, including existing access, surrounding development, physical constraints of the site, character of the area, and planning policy requirements; including open space, recreation and play space, landscaping, and boundary treatments. 

The scale of the proposed development is sympathetic to the surroundings of the site and the adjacent settlement of Wickersley.  

The Applicant has commissioned a package of technical and design information to support the application. The work undertaken to date confirms the following technical outcomes: 

• The site is not located in an Air Quality Management Area. Modelling confirms the proposed development will not create any significant air quality impacts. 
• Ecology surveys are ongoing, and a Biodiversity Net Gain baseline and post-development assessment will be finalised for the application submission. The application will deliver 10 biodiversity net gain in line with national legislation. 
• The site is located in Flood Zone 1. Data obtained from the Environment Agency confirms there is a surface water flow route adjacent to the north-western site boundary, a ponding area in the south-west corner and an overland flow route through the centre of the site. The indicative layout has been designed to consider the surface water flow routes (including a proposed swale). 
• The Flood Risk Assessment and associated Drainage Report confirms that the site is not at significant risk from flooding, subject to the recommended flood mitigation and drainage strategies being implemented. The strategies have been included within the indicative layout of the site. The development will not increase the risk of flooding elsewhere.
• A Noise Impact Assessment has been undertaken in line with best practice guidance and confirms that the proposed development will not generate any significant noise impact. 
• The site is not subject to any known Tree Preservation Orders.  
• An initial desktop review reveals no known archaeological records for the site. 
• The site is not located within a Conservation Area and a review of the Listed Building Register confirms there are no Listed Buildings or Scheduled Ancient Monuments on or near to site. The nearest historical receptors have been assessed and the report will form part of the submitted planning documentation pack. 
• The site is subject of historical coal mining activity, but the risk from shallow coal workings is considered to be negligible. 
• A Transport Assessment was undertaken which confirms the proposed development will not have a severe impact on the local highway network and it will not have an unacceptable impact on highway safety. 
• The Transport Assessment confirms the site is located in a sustainable location, with suitable facilities located within appropriate walking or cycling distance from the site. 

The planning application will be supported by several documents which set out the design and technical details of the proposal, these include: 

• Indicative Site Layout 
• Design and Access Statement 
• Landscape and Visual Impact Appraisal 
• Air Quality Assessment 
• Ecology Surveys and Biodiversity Net Gain Metric 
• Flood Risk Assessment and Drainage Strategy 
• Noise Impact Assessment 
• Tree Survey 
• Heritage and Archaeology Desk Based Assessment 
• Ground Investigation 
• Transport Assessment 

Social: 

•  The site is available, in a suitable location and is achievable in the early years of the emerging Plan period. 
• The site would contribute to an appropriate level of growth in Wickersley which is identified as a ‘Sustainable Settlement for Growth’ in the Local Plan. It would help to support and retain the vitality of the settlement. 
• Highly sustainable location near to essential services and facilities to meet the requirements of future residents, such as healthcare and education provision, convenience goods, among others. 
• The site has previously been assessed by the Local Planning Authority as suitable for residential development (through the Strategic Housing Market Assessment and release from the Green Belt to support future development needs). 
• The proposed development would offer a wide tenure mix to future residents, and contribute to the general affordable housing supply in Rotherham, making homes more accessible.
• Contribute to the local demand for housing and provide a policy-compliant level of on-site affordable housing, equivalent to 25% or 34 dwellings, secured by a Section 106 legal agreement. 

Environmental: 

• The site is near to public transport options and a well-lit public footpath network, connecting to a cycle path network around Wickersley, which would encourage healthy transport methods for future residents. 
• The proposed development would deliver an appropriate extension to Wickersley whilst considering appropriate landscape features on-site and along the site boundaries, complimentary to the surrounding landscape and adjacent Green Belt land. 
• A Landscape Character Assessment is commissioned and will be submitted as part of a future outline planning application to demonstrate the acceptability of the proposed development in this location and as part of the wider landscape. 
• The proposed development will provide at least 10% biodiversity net gain to support and increase local biodiversity and wildlife.
• An assessment of potential site constraints has confirmed the site is not subject to any known constraints which would prevent the development from coming forward (further information above in ‘Technical Information’). 

Economic: 

• The proposal, once occupied, would support the sustainable settlement of Wickerlsey via increased spending and footfall in the local area, helping to ensure Wickersley remains a vibrant and sustainable community. 
• The proposal would provide employment opportunities throughout the construction phase. 
• There would be an increase in Council Tax revenue for the Local Authority. 
• Opportunities for on-site affordable housing to support lower income families. 

It is anticipated that the planning application is likely to be submitted in June 2025. 

The application will be submitted in outline, with the final layout, appearance and design to be finalised by a future Reserved Matters planning application. 

The public consultation will formally run for a 2-week period from Thursday 22nd May to Thursday 5th June. There is a questionnaire available for completion or you can provide comments to the LSH team leading on the project.

Complete the questionnaire here

If you have any further clarifications or queries, then please get in contact with a member of our team on the details below.