Friends of Kingstone Green Belt
A Community Group

Protecting the open countryside of Kingstone.

Friends of Kingstone Green Belt is a group of local residents working to ensure that planning proposals affecting our Green Belt are properly examined, properly evidenced, and properly contested where they should be.

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Area
Kingstone, Barnsley
Designation
Green Belt · Barnsley Local Plan
Founded
May 2026
Land south of Keresforth Hill Road, May 2026
Campaign update · 8 September 2026

The deadline for commenting to Bellway — and what has happened since their consultation

If you want to comment, do it now

The closing date for comments is unclear, and it may be this week

On 3 September Bellway told the Barnsley Chronicle that “the deadline for comments on the current consultation is Friday September 10”. There is no Friday 10 September this year — the 10th is a Thursday, and the Friday of that week is the 11th.

Bellway’s own consultation page is still live and gives no closing date at all. We do not know whether the error was the newspaper’s or the developer’s, and we are not going to guess. We have written to their planning consultants asking them to confirm the closing date and whether comments sent now are still being accepted, and we will publish the answer here.

Until they confirm it, treat the deadline as imminent. If you want to say something to Bellway about this scheme, please do it now rather than later. You can use the comment form on their consultation page, or email them directly at [email protected]. Put the site name — land off Keresforth Hill Road, Barnsley — in your message, and keep a copy of what you send.

One important thing has not changed: this is the developer’s own consultation, not the council’s. Commenting now is worth doing, but it is not a formal objection. The chance to object properly comes when an application is submitted, and we will tell you the moment it is.

Bellway’s public exhibition took place on Thursday 20 August at Shaw Lane Sports Club. It was busy. We counted 98 people through the doors across the three hours — 34, 29 and 35 in each. There was no sign-in sheet, so that count is ours rather than theirs. Thank you to everyone who came, asked questions and reported back; it made a real difference to what we now know.

Bellway Strategic Land, their planning consultants Johnson Mowat, their highways consultant and their architect were all in the room and answered questions for three hours. Their material sets out an outline planning application covering both fields, with the main vehicle access off Keresforth Hill Road, 25% affordable homes in a mix of 2–5 bedroom properties, new pedestrian and cycle connections, the public right of way kept within the layout, areas of open space, and sustainable drainage. Their boards and plans are still available on the developer’s own consultation page — we would encourage you to read them at source.

One thing worth knowing about that 25%. It is presented as a community benefit. But under the national rules the government published in August, a developer releasing Green Belt land for housing is expected to provide a higher proportion of affordable homes than on an ordinary site. For a site like this one, 25% is at or about the level the rules now require — rather than something offered over and above them.

The two things worth knowing from the night

1. Their own timetable does not agree with itself. The printed boards say an application will be submitted “in the coming weeks”. On the night, residents were told there would be another consultation event first, over the winter. Both cannot be right, and we have asked which it is.

2. Nothing is imminent on the ground. Residents were told the site would not be built on for four to five years — worth remembering whenever this scheme is described as an answer to a housing shortage now.

Commenting to Bellway was not the same as objecting to the council. That exhibition was the developer’s own consultation. Anything said there is useful, but it was not a formal objection and it does not go to Barnsley Council. The chance to object properly comes when the application is submitted and validated — and we will tell you exactly when that is, what the reference number is, and how to write an objection that gets taken seriously.

What we have done since. On 24 August we sent twenty-four written questions to Johnson Mowat on behalf of the group. They ask for the things the exhibition did not settle: how many homes are actually proposed and what mix; how the affordable housing would be provided and secured; what the sums offered towards local services and infrastructure were calculated on; what happens to the public right of way; and which timetable is the real one. On 8 September we wrote again, asking them to confirm the closing date and when we might expect the written reply Bellway has publicly promised. We have also met the council’s Head of Planning, on 1 September, and our Member of Parliament has replied to the group. We will publish what we get — including if nothing comes back.

We are not going to pretend a consultation is a decision, and we are not going to overstate what any of this means. What we will do is ask precise questions, publish the answers, and be ready with proper evidence when the application lands.

Dates worth knowing
  • This weekBellway’s own consultation is expected to close. The date they gave the press does not exist and their website gives none — see above.
  • Wed 7 OctoberBarnsley Council’s Cabinet is due to consider the review of the Local Plan — the document that decides which land is protected and which is released. Meetings of Cabinet are held in public.
  • Not yet knownThe planning application itself. Nothing has been submitted. Their boards said “in the coming weeks”; their staff told residents there would be another event over the winter first. We have asked which is right and have not yet been told.
  • When it landsThe formal objection period. This is the one that counts, and we will publish the reference number, the deadline and how to write an objection that carries weight.
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I. What is happening

Bellway have announced plans to build on Kingstone's Green Belt.

Bellway Strategic Land — part of Bellway, one of the UK's largest housebuilders — has held an agreement to buy land south of Keresforth Hill Road, Barnsley, subject to conditions, since December 2021. Bellway are not the current owner; they would buy the land from the current owner if the conditions in their agreement are met. Through the spring of 2026 their contractors undertook extensive ground investigations on the site — borehole drilling, trial pits and ground gas monitoring.

In August 2026 they went public: a published notice of their intention to submit an outline planning application, an illustrative masterplan covering both fields, a consultation leaflet through local letterboxes, and a public exhibition on 20 August. No planning application has yet been submitted — but one is now clearly coming.

The site is crossed by a well-used bridleway — a public right of way that passes the Grade II listed stable block to Keresforth Hall and draws walkers and riders from well beyond the immediate area. It connects to a wider network of paths through the historic countryside south of Barnsley.

The land in question has been designated Green Belt for many decades. Under national planning policy, most development on Green Belt is automatically classed as "inappropriate" and should be refused unless the developer can demonstrate "very special circumstances" — a deliberately high bar.

Friends of Kingstone Green Belt has been formed by local residents who intend to engage constructively and properly with the planning process when an application is submitted, and to make sure the public interest is properly represented.

Where it is

The site sits on the southern edge of Kingstone — bordered by existing housing, two schools and the fire station to the north, and open countryside and the historic Keresforth Hall estate to the south.

Aerial photograph looking across Kingstone, with the Green Belt site outlined in red. Greenacre School, the fire station, Trinity Academy St Edward's and Locke Park are labelled around it, with open countryside and large houses to the south.
Aerial view of the site · Kingstone · May 2026
Aerial view looking north across two harvested fields on the edge of Kingstone, with a wooded copse to one side, a track running between the fields, and the houses, schools and playing fields of Kingstone beyond, with Barnsley on the skyline.
Looking north from the countryside towards Kingstone, after the summer harvest · August 2026
What we are protecting

This is the open countryside in question. Working farmland on the southern edge of Kingstone, designated Green Belt for decades and crossed by a public bridleway. Every photograph on this page was taken by people who live here.

II. The bigger picture

A third major housing scheme. The same small corridor.

The Keresforth Hill Road site is not being proposed in isolation. Two further housing schemes are advancing on nearby land released from the Green Belt through the 2019 Local Plan — one already under construction, the other in planning. All three sites share the same road network, schools, GP surgeries and emergency service provision.

i
South of Keresforth Hill Road
Bellway Strategic Land · agreement to buy if conditions are met (December 2021) · consultation announced August 2026, application expected
no developer figure published · council capacity 259 homes · Green Belt
ii
Keresforth Road (west of M1)
Separate scheme · in determination at the council (ref. 2022/0016) · proposals revised down from 215 homes
up to 126 homes · former Green Belt
iii
Smithy Wood Gate, Gilroyd
Permission granted · under construction (ref. 2021/1642)
198 homes · former Green Belt
583
up to 583 homes proposed or possible across three sites in one corridor, all sharing the same roads, schools and services. Two schemes are already in the planning system — 324 homes between them — and the council's own evidence says the Bellway field could take a further 259. This corridor has already absorbed substantial Green Belt release through the 2019 Local Plan; the Bellway site is the one piece of remaining protected Green Belt.
III. What we stand for

We are not opposed to all development. We are for the proper protection of the Green Belt.

Protecting open countryside

The Green Belt around Kingstone exists to safeguard countryside from encroachment and to keep land permanently open. This is what national planning policy was designed to defend.

Defending public rights of way

The bridleway across the site is a public right of way used by walkers and riders from well beyond Kingstone. It forms part of a historic approach past Keresforth Hall, whose stable block is a Grade II listed building. The route itself, and its long-standing relationship to the hall and the countryside around it, matter to a wide community.

Proper scrutiny of cumulative impact

When multiple sites are proposed in one corridor, the combined effect on roads, schools, GP capacity and emergency services must be properly assessed — not considered in isolation.

Evidence-based engagement

We are building a careful evidence base on every relevant material consideration so that our engagement with the planning process is credible, accurate and effective.

— Latest news

What's been happening with the campaign.

8 September 2026

We ask Bellway to confirm the closing date

With the published deadline pointing at a day that does not exist and the developer’s own page giving no date at all, the group has written to Bellway’s planning consultants asking them to confirm the closing date and whether comments sent now are still being accepted.

The same letter asks when we might expect the written response to our twenty-four questions, and when their client intends to submit an application. Details in the campaign update above.

3 September 2026

Bellway’s first public statement — and a promise to answer us

The Barnsley Chronicle reported growing support for the campaign, and carried Bellway’s first public comment on the scheme. In it the developer said: “Friends of Kingstone Green Belt submitted a detailed series of questions following the event and we will provide a written response to the group addressing their questions.”

They also said a Statement of Community Involvement accompanying any application will summarise the consultation and how feedback has influenced the proposals. We have asked that our questions and their answers appear in it, and we will publish the response when it arrives.

1 September 2026

The group meets the council’s Head of Planning

Representatives of the group met Barnsley Council’s Head of Planning to understand how a proposal of this kind is handled, what the council can and cannot say before an application is submitted, and how residents’ comments are taken into account.

It was a constructive meeting and we are grateful for the time given. Our Member of Parliament has also now replied to the group.

24 August 2026

Twenty-four questions put to Bellway in writing

Following the exhibition, the group has sent twenty-four written questions to Johnson Mowat, Bellway’s planning consultants — on the number and mix of homes, how the affordable housing would be provided and secured, what the sums offered towards local services were calculated on, what happens to the public right of way, and which of their two stated timetables is the real one.

We have asked for a written reply. We will publish what comes back — and say so plainly if nothing does.

20 August 2026

98 residents at Bellway’s consultation

Bellway’s public exhibition at Shaw Lane Sports Club drew 98 people across three hours, by our count — there was no sign-in sheet. Bellway Strategic Land, their planning consultants, their highways consultant and their architect all took questions.

Full report in the campaign update above.

July 2026

2,000 leaflets delivered across Kingstone

Through July, campaign volunteers delivered two thousand leaflets door to door across Kingstone — from Kingstone Grange to Water Royd, Racecommon Road and the streets between. The print run was paid for entirely by donations to the campaign fund.

If a leaflet brought you here: welcome. You can join the campaign, or simply keep in touch, using the details in the Get involved section below.

14 July 2026

Councillors refuse Green Belt solar scheme at Grimethorpe

Barnsley’s Planning Regulatory Board has refused permission for a large solar farm on Green Belt land at Grimethorpe — going against the planning officers’ recommendation to approve. The decision was reported in the Barnsley Chronicle.

It is a reminder of how the system works: Green Belt applications in Barnsley are decided case by case, in public, by elected councillors — and community voices are part of that process. The developer has since appealed. The Planning Inspectorate has not yet decided, and we are following it closely — whichever way it goes, it will tell us a great deal about how Green Belt cases are being judged in this borough.

15 May 2026

First press coverage

The Barnsley Chronicle has published a full-column piece on Friends of Kingstone Green Belt and the proposed Bellway development, written by Jack Tolson. The article sets out the campaign's formation, the Green Belt designation of the site, the cumulative position across the corridor, and the group's intention to engage constructively with the planning process when an application is submitted.

Bellway declined to comment. Matt O'Neill, BMBC's Executive Director for Growth and Sustainability, cited the government's national housing target in response.

Barnsley Chronicle clipping with the headline ‘Safeguarded land is being eyed by developers — claim’, by Jack Tolson, 15 May 2026
Barnsley Chronicle · 15 May 2026
Aerial photograph looking north across open harvested farmland on the southern edge of Barnsley. A group of older buildings sits among mature trees in the middle distance, with hedged fields around them, the houses and schools of Kingstone beyond, and Barnsley town centre on the skyline.
The land in question

Open fields, hedges and mature trees between Kingstone and the countryside — with Barnsley on the skyline.

Looking north across the fields · July 2026
IV. What happens next

How a planning application of this kind typically proceeds.

  1. Pre-application investigations
    Where we are now. Borehole drilling, ground gas monitoring, ecological surveys and tree assessments inform the developer's design and risk assessment.
  2. Planning application submitted
    Likely later in 2026 or early 2027. Submission opens a formal public consultation period during which neighbours and members of the public can submit written objections to Barnsley Council.
  3. Consultation & statutory consultees
    Alongside public objections, statutory consultees give formal views — National Highways, the Mining Remediation Authority, Yorkshire Water, the Environment Agency, Historic England, and others. Their responses form part of the evidence the council considers.
  4. Officer report & committee decision
    Council planning officers prepare a report assessing the application against national and local planning policy, including a recommendation to approve or refuse. For significant applications, the final decision is taken by the council's planning committee, made up of elected councillors, voting in public. The committee can vote against the officer recommendation.
  5. Appeal — if refused
    A refused developer can appeal to the Planning Inspectorate, an independent national body. Beyond that, there are limited further routes through the courts. The local community can also engage at the appeal stage through written representations or, in larger inquiries, in person.
Your questions

The questions people are asking.

Straight answers to the things residents ask us most.

I thought Green Belt was protected from development?

So did most people. The truth is that Green Belt isn't protected by law — it's a planning policy, and policies can be changed. A council can take land out of the Green Belt when it reviews its Local Plan, and the government can change the rules about when that's allowed. The protection is real, but it is not permanent — and it is weaker today than it was two years ago.

So why is this happening now?

In December 2024 the government did two things. It brought back compulsory housing targets for every council, as part of a national push for 1.5 million new homes. And it invented a new category — "grey belt" — for Green Belt land it considers lower quality and easier to release. In August 2026 it rewrote the national rules again, and kept both. Put it together and you get what's now happening right across Barnsley: developers looking again at fields everyone assumed were safe. Kingstone is one of them.

The rules changed again in August 2026 — does that affect us?

Yes. On 17 August 2026 the government published a rewritten National Planning Policy Framework — the document every council and every planning inspector works from. For residents, four things are worth knowing. Compulsory housing targets remain. “Grey belt” remains. Where Green Belt land is released for housing, developers now have to provide more affordable housing than before. And the whole framework has been reorganised and renumbered — so any objection guidance you find online quoting the old paragraph numbers is out of date. We are working from the new framework, and we will keep this page current as it beds in.

What is the Local Plan review — and why does it matter?

Separately from any planning application, Barnsley Council is reviewing its Local Plan — the document that decides where development goes and where the Green Belt boundaries sit. Under the new national rules, that review will look again at Green Belt land across the borough, including here. Decisions made at the plan-making stage can matter as much as any single planning application. Residents get formal opportunities to comment as the review progresses — we are following it closely and will publicise every chance to have your say.

Is this only happening in Kingstone?

No — and that's the part people should sit up for. The same national rules apply everywhere. Across Barnsley — Wombwell, Darfield, Jump and more — developers are putting forward land that was supposed to be protected. At Jump, a proposal for up to 270 homes is already being described by its developer as “grey belt” — before any application has been submitted, and before the council has adopted any method for deciding what qualifies. If a green space near you has always felt safe, the honest answer is that "safe" now depends entirely on your council's evidence and its willingness to defend it. What happens here matters well beyond Kingstone.

How many houses could be built on the field?

Bellway haven't said. But the council's own planning evidence already puts a number on it: an indicative capacity of 259 homes on this one field. That's not our figure and it's not Bellway's — it's the council's own assessment of what the site could take. And this is one of three housing schemes being pushed in the same small corner of Barnsley, all feeding onto the same roads, schools and GP surgeries.

Are you just against new housing?

No — and this matters. Barnsley needs homes, and there are sites across the borough that are right for them. What we're against is building on protected Green Belt when there are better, lower-grade sites that should come first. Build the homes. Build them in the right place.

Is this definitely going to happen?

Not yet. No planning application has been submitted — but in August 2026 Bellway announced their intention to submit one, and held a public exhibition on 20 August covering both fields. We're not waiting to find out. We're getting our evidence ready now.

Bellway held a consultation in August — does that mean it's decided?

No. A developer consultation happens before an application is submitted. It is the developer's own exercise — not the council's — and it carries no formal weight in the decision. The decision comes later: once an application is submitted and validated by Barnsley Council, residents get a formal opportunity to comment, and that is the one that counts. We will publicise that moment clearly — the date, the reference number, and how to write an objection that gets taken seriously.

What can I do?

Join us, and tell your neighbours. When an application is submitted, the most powerful thing you can do is write your own objection, in your own words, setting out how it affects you — a reasoned personal objection counts for far more than a name on a petition. We'll tell you when that moment comes and help you do it well.

V. Get involved

If you live in Kingstone and could be affected, we want to hear from you.

The more residents who are informed and ready to engage when an application is submitted, the stronger the community's voice will be. There is no fee to join, no commitment required, and no obligation beyond keeping in touch.

Get in touch
[email protected]

We are also happy to hear from journalists, councillors, planning professionals, ecologists or anyone with relevant expertise willing to support the group's work. Please get in touch via the email address above.

You can also follow the campaign on Facebook.

We work alongside other local community groups — see the useful links below.