BARNSLEY Council’s planning board gave outline permission to build more than 200 homes on ‘safeguarded’ land in Wombwell much to the frustration of local councillors.

Councillors met on Tuesday to discuss the proposals to build up to 230 houses on Pit Lane.

The plans are subject to a Section 106 agreement cash set aside by local developers for local amenities which would see almost £1m used for education, £172,500 for sustainable travel and £5,000 for biodiversity monitoring.

Ten per cent of the properties must also be ‘affordable’, according to the report.

The plans were approved at the meeting this week but it is just the first stage of the process, with more applications set to be submitted to require full planning permission rather than just outline.

Wombwell’s three councillors James Higginbottom, Robert Frost and Brenda Eastwood all submitted objections beforehand and have vowed to continue to support residents throughout the process.

In a joint statement they said: “We are disappointed with the decision to approve outline planning permission on the safeguarded land off Pit Lane at Wombwell.

“As local councillors, we have consistently raised our objections to this application including through a written submission to the planning board.

“It is important to note that this decision is to approve outline permission and site access only.

“That means that further planning permissions on the detail of the scheme must be approved before development can take place.

“We will continue to ensure that residents’ voices are heard at every stage of the planning process.”