Barnsley Development Agency

16th March 2005
THE ROAD TO JOB OPPORTUNITIES

BARNSLEY Metropolitan Borough Council has accepted a tender from Birse Civils Ltd to build the long-awaited Dodworth Bypass. The new road will link the M1 Junction 37 roundabout with the roundabout adjacent to Koyo Bearings on the A628 Barnsley to Manchester Road, and will bypass Dodworth to the north via a new bridge over the Barnsley-to-Huddersfield railway and a new junction with Higham Lane. Preparatory work started on 7 March and the scheme is expected to take 60 weeks to complete.

Artist impression of Junction 37 M1

A 38-acre high-quality business park, which is being developed by Yorkshire based Property developers Sterling Capitol, will take access from the bypass. ‘Capitol Park, Barnsley’ will be located adjacent to M1 junction 37 and has recently been given planning consent.

£2.6 million of support towards the first £8.6m phase of Capitol Park, Barnsley, is being sought from the European Regional Development Fund through the Objective 1 Programme. Barnsley Council is making provision for its continued involvement in the scheme, including purchase of land for a park-and-ride to serve Barnsley town centre. Sterling Capitol are working closely with Objective 1, Renaissance South Yorkshire, Barnsley Council and Barnsley Development Agency to finalise their respective investment in the scheme.

Cabinet spokesperson (Environmental Services) Cllr Margaret Morgan said: ‘’The bypass has been welcomed by Dodworth residents, who will no longer have to suffer from the high levels of traffic on the existing A628. In addition, local business park occupiers, whose vehicles suffer periodic delays at the existing railway level crossing and through the residential areas of the village, will benefit from reduced delays and better connections to the regional and national road network.’’

Cabinet spokesperson (Development) Cllr William Newman added: “The Capitol Park, Barnsley scheme will provide high quality business accommodation for expanding local firms and potential inward investors into Barnsley. It is aimed at encouraging provision of good quality job opportunities for local people.”

It has been estimated that the end value of the development could be in the region of £40 million and will have the capacity to accommodate between 800 and 1200 jobs.

Martin Croxen, Chief Executive of Sterling Capitol concludes: “This is a very exciting scheme for Barnsley, a town with a proud industrial past and a great future. We are delighted to be involved in a development which will assist in the regeneration of one of South Yorkshire’s most important towns.”