Decision on ‘biggest development’ in Bradford District will be made next week

The Esholt Positive Living Development is a huge scheme that would see 150 homes, 100,000 square metres of employment development and a community hub created on areas of the Esholt Water Treatment Site.

On Thursday Bradford Council’s Regulatory and Appeals Committee will decide whether to grant planning permission for the demolition of the site’s primary tanks and the site’s redevelopment.

The plans were submitted by Keyland Developments and Yorkshire Water..

There have been scores of objections to the plans, including one from Shipley MP Philip Davies, who raised concerns about the amount of traffic the development would create.

Other objectors claimed the size of the development would “overwhelm” Esholt.

Councillor Jeanette Sunderland (Lib Dem, Idle and Thackley) has pushed for the land between Bradford and Leeds to become a Country Park. She said to allow the plans as they stand would be an “act of vandalism.”

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And a petition calling for a section of the site to be used as a nature reserve instead of housing has over 800 signatures.

Leeds Council has also raised concerns about the plan, claiming it will cause traffic issues beyond the Bradford District border.

But a 108 page report into the application that will go before the committee suggests members approve the plans.

The employment side of the development is predicted to create over 2,000 jobs, with the applicants claiming businesses based on the site will mainly be in the biotech, educational and research and development and advanced manufacturing sectors.

At a meeting of Bradford Council’s Executive in June, Chief Executive Kersten England referred to the Esholt scheme when discussing future developments in Bradford. She said it was the “largest development proposal in the District.”

The application was first submitted to the Council over 2 years ago, and has already gone through a number of tweaks.

The site lies within the Green Belt, although much of the land has previously been developed.

The report to the committee says: “There is no doubt that the economic benefits of the proposal are substantial. This proposed employment development has the opportunity to bring significant benefits to the Bradford economy.”

It goes on to say that due to the benefits of the scheme, it meets the “very special circumstances” needed to allow development on the Green Belt.