Developer plants the seed for housing on Rotherham garden centre site

Early plans explain how a Grade II listed building would be incorporated into the scheme for 40 new homes, and how a connected site has the potential for 351 further dwellings.

Rothbiz reported in 2020 that Fosters Garden Centre would close. The Foster family had been in business in Thrybergh for over a hundred years, growing to include a garden centre, antiques centre, machinery department, coffee shop and a cycle retail outlet.

With the site remaining vacant, Avant Homes is in the process of preparing a full planning application for the construction of up to 40 dwellings, including the conversion of the existing buildings to produce up to seven dwellings at Doncaster Road. 2, 3 and 4 bedroom terraced, semi-detached and detached homes are mentioned.

Considered brownfield in nature, the site comprises buildings from the former garden centre, a large area of hard standing and a former petrol filling station.

Advertisement

The garden centre was based around the cartshed, granary and stable of Chestnut Tree Farm which dates from 1816. These Grade II Listed buildings would be retained and sympathetically converted. Other buildings, including the petrol station would be demolished and a new point of access will be developed directly off Doncaster Road.

It is expected that up to 30 high quality energy efficient new homes will be included in the plans, 25% of which will be affordable homes of a variety of tenures to meet identified local housing needs.

Avant said in its consultation documents: “Our aim is to create a development which is designed to be sympathetic to the existing locality and the Listed Buildings whilst enhancing the existing character of the surroundings through creating contextual design features and using high quality materials.

“The site offers the opportunity to deliver a design-led residential development on vacant brownfield land that is in a highly sustainable location of Rotherham.”

The community consultation also hints at the future for the wider area where a large field to the north of St Gerard’s Catholic Primary School was designated for residential use in the borough’s local plan. Known as site H26, the 41 acre site has the capicity for 351 dwellings.

The documents add: “As part of our planning application, we will produce a masterplan to show how our development will not prejudice the development of H26 and how the two sites can be integrated together to form a sustainable and interconnected scheme.”

The consultation runs until June 26 before a planning application is submitted.

Avant Homes website

Images: Google Maps / Avant