PROPOSALS for a care home for vulnerable youths in an area once labelled Barnsley's crime blackspot have come under fire.

Two derelict houses have been earmarked for renovation as part of a £1.3m scheme to regenerate Sheffield Road.

It is planned to move Mill House, which houses youths aged between 16 and 21, from Stairfoot to Sheffield Road. Stonham, the charitable organisation which runs Mill House, is the largest provider of care for vulnerable people, some with special needs.

But residents say the Sheffield Road, which earned its dubious name when Beechurst was still operating as a hostel for the homeless, still suffers from persistent drugs problems and makes it unsuitable.

Arthur Mitchell is chairman of Doncaster Road, Sheffield Road and Park Road Residents’ Association.

He said: “We are concerned. These type of homes need to be built but it is not appropriate for Sheffield Road."

Ward councillors Ian Guest, Margaret Bruff and Michael Stokes share his worry. Liberal Democrat Coun Guest said he could not believe the proposal. “You’d be setting these young people up. They are looked-after children and you’d be putting them into an area that’s got its problems." A council spokesman said money had been secured to help improve private dwellings in the area.

“In the autumn we will be consulting with the Sheffield Road community on the scope and type of works.”

He said government funding was not reliant on putting Mill House there.