Peel takes twin-track approach with Hurstwood resi

City of Doncaster Council officers recommend approval for the developer’s plans to build 1,000+ homes, with two separate applications to be considered at committee.

CDC’s planning committee sits on 21 October, and will look at two applications from Peel L&P Investments (North) for the Hurstwood site, west of the airport formerly operated by the North West-headquartered property and infrastructure giant and now set for a comeback under public ownership.

Turley is the planning consultant for the project. The professional team also includes Aecom, Survey Operations, TTHC, with JRP Associates drawing up the design & access statement.

The applications each cover the whole of the Hurstwood proposal, for a large-scale residential development including a primary school and co-working space. Both applications are recommended for approval, but differ in the quantum of housing proposed, and are proposed concurremtly due to a question over a piece of bespoke planning policy.

The first proposal, for up to 1,200 homes, mirrors the Local Plan approach, as was set out when Peel revealed its intentions in late 2024.

The second, at 1,400 homes, challenges the policy’s requirement that only a certain amount of homes should be delivered ahead of development in Gateway East’s allocated employment sites, two plots known as the Central Plaza and IQ.

Any issue is merely one of sequencing and the potential timeline for delivery – overall housing numbers at Hurstwood are slated at 1,800 regardless.

Should the first proposals be approved, it would mean that no more than 280 homes could be given reserved matters approval and thus built out (within the DSA02 allocation) before employment space is developed.

Peel has confirmed with the council that it intends 23% of homes to be affordable. CDC’s suggestion is that 75% of this provision be rental, and the rest shared ownership.

Of the proposed Section 106 agreement, the most notable element is a £7m contribution towards education places, with £1.4m for bus improvements and a £500,000 slug for highway improvements also included.

Also in outline, the alternative proposal is more detailed, spelling out how the 800 market-sale homes would be developed alongside different Tenures, such as later living, build-to-rent and specialist living dwellings.

This second application points to the fact outline consent is in place for the employment zones – established by Peel and Turley – arguing that “there is real momentum in bringing forward the various components of the Gateway East site in order to deliver the holistically planned community as envisaged in the Masterplan”.

Given the greater volume of development, the education contribution suggested for this iteration of the plan is increased to £8.5m.

Across the whole of the site, four character areas are proposed: Hurstwood West/Hurstwood Lane, Great North Road, Woodland Core  -which would be the social and community heart of the scheme – and Hurstwood East. Both schemes propose the demolition of Warren House Farm.

The two alternatives put forward by Peel can be viewed on CDC’s planning portal, references 25/00136/OUTA and 25/00137/OUTA.