Demolition of village centre crescent, Cudworth
An application by Barnsley Council to demolish a village centre shopping parade in Cudworth, as part of a regeneration program:
This is the demolition of a significant portion of Cudworth village centre by the Council, ostensibly for the purposes of regeneration, but really, its because there is no money left to renovate the buildings.
The historic map below shows how Cudworth once had a clear village centre with a market place enclosed by buildings, this crescent being central to creating that form. This character has been eroded due to demolitions over time, and the removal of this crescent will leave the village centre formless – a few scattered buildings surrounded by odd bits of open land and roads.
The demolition is being sold to the public as an opportunity for a new public space. A landscaped area in the cleared corner is proposed:
A small landscaped area in a village centre is of course appealing, but without the cresent to shape the village centre, there isn’t really a village centre anymore. This area will appear as an after thought – the Council’s solution to the problem of a vacant space.
The above image shows how the buildings used to give form and character to Cudworth. The idea that demolishing the historic core of a village is regeneration is nonsense.
The Demolition Register 