Amazon agents were liaising with Council one year before scheme was public

Diverting the path is key to being able to build a massive warehouse on a 59-acre site between Whitehall Road, Whitechapel Road and M62.

Correspondence accessed via a Freedom of Information request reveals staff with Exeter-based transport consultants Vectos were working with Council staff to move the footpath, which forms part of the Spen Valley Heritage Trail, to run close to the M62.

An aerial view of the site. Picture: Google

Campaigners fighting the mammoth development say heading off objections early would ensure the scheme had a smoother route through planning – and lengthy delays would be avoided.

One email dated June 26, 2020 – and seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service – says Vectos “would like to get the ball rolling” prior to submitting a formal pre-application scoping document to Kirklees Council’s Highways department.

It included a concept for the diversion, which had been “informally discussed” with Council staff previously and which was described as “the preferred option”.

The email goes on: “It would also be helpful if you could confirm the best way to programme the necessary diversion works.

Councillor John Lawson, leader of the Liberal Democrats on Kirklees Council, with fellow ward councillor Kath Pinnock

"When we spoke, I believe you mentioned undertaking an informal consultation whilst the planning application was being prepared/determined so that the views of local residents and consultees are taken into account [during] the design process.

“I believe that the intention of this would be to minimise any objections to the diversion order?”

What was eventually revealed to be a fulfilment centre for Amazon first appeared before the Council’s Strategic Planning Committee on June 3, 2021.

It is currently the subject of a formal intervention by National Highways, which wants a critical traffic assessment to be fully completed.

The Save Our Spen campaign group said it had “very real concerns” about the actions of the applicant, agents acting on their behalf, and Kirklees Council throughout the planning application, including during the pre-application stage. 

Councillor John Lawson (Lib Dem, Cleckheaton), who is against the scheme, said Save Our Spen was “absolutely right” in seeking clarity on how the application got into its current state.

“Their campaign speaks to some of the inherent weaknesses in planning in general and, in particular, how public interest and confidential information are balanced," he said.

He said the nature of the main application had not been smooth, adding to a “sense of unease” felt by people.