Bypass call for Doncaster village blighted by speeding traffic and toxic fumes

Residents of Old Cantley say hundreds of drivers a day are racing through the village, just yards from historic homes, including the sprawling mansion of DFS magnate Baron Graham Kirkham.

Organiser Chris Andrews is calling on Doncaster Council to build a bypass to skirt the village, some of which dates from the 18th century and beyond.

He said: “The volume of traffic through the village has the likeness of a motorway at the best of times which spoils the area significantly.

"A lot of the older properties are only a few feet from the road itself, which means some people are sitting almost next to the road when they are in their front rooms.

"Back when the village was first built this obviously wasn't an issue because there wasn't much coming through the village, but modern times bring modern problems.

"The village itself is lovely and it is such a shame that the council have been continuously granting planning permission for new housing in the suburbs surrounding Old Cantley without a second thought to the impact of traffic volumes.

"Being such a culturally significant area of Doncaster it is such a shame you can't walk around and enjoy the village and its historic buildings without breathing in toxic fumes or being hit by speeding traffic.”

He added: “The reason I am bringing this up now is because there are currently traffic lights in the village due to roadworks, and the queues they are creating emphasises how many vehicles use the village as a 'rat-run.’

Residents have joined forces to campaign a route which would bypass the village, which drivers often use as a ‘back road’ route to reach Armthorpe.

The village’s most striking feature is Grade II listed Cantley Hall, a Georgian mansion set in 400 acres.

After World War II, owners the Fitzwilliam family, started selling off parts of the estate, with the house acquired by brewer Thomas Darley, who died in 1982.

Car magnate John Carnell later owned the property before it was bought in 1990 by Baron Kirkham, founder of sofa firm DFS.