Major housing plan on former factory site is approved

Ward councillors were worried about the safety of one of the new estate’s entrance and exit routes and urged Calerdale Council Planning Committee colleagues to refuse Barratt Homes and Torsion Care’s application for the former Crosslee factory site.

But a majority agreed the scheme should go ahead.

Permission is subject to a number of planning conditions and legal agreements which will secure around £1 million worth of improvements and that 25 per cent of the homes will be classed as “affordable”.

Earlier opposition to the plans centred around impact vehicles generated by a large number of homes might have on close-by Hipperholme crossroads, a major junction.

But with outline permission – establishing the principle of development – given almost two years ago, concerns for the detailed and revised scheme centred around one of the estate’s access points, at St Giles Road.

Committee member Coun David Kirton (Con, Hipperholme and Lightcliffe) said he had great concerns about this.

“I think this is absolutely shocking.

“I think it is a dangerous access onto St Giles Road at that point.

“There are footpaths only on one side and children use it to access all the schools in the area,” he said.

Coun Joe Atkinson (Con, Hipperholme and Lightcliffe), addressing committee as ward councillor, agreed and said St Giles Road was ill-equipped to cope with extra vehicles, especially at peak times.

“The road network is problematic regarding pedestrians with increased accident risk and children walking to and from school – safety of road users must be a priority,” he said.

Coun Steven Leigh (Con, Ryburn), said it risked adding another “rat run” to the area.

But highways officers said proposals met requirements and “rat run” concerns could be addressed, for example using traffic regulation orders, if a problem arose.

Barratt Homes’ agent Martin Jones said the site would see a brownfield site developed.

Primary access would be from Brighouse Road.

Crosslee – which manufactured millions of tumble driers there in its time – had seen daily traffic operations, he said.

Walking and cycling options for travel were also built into the plans for a site which was close to shops, services and schools.

“It is a scheme that is deliverable,” he said.

Coun Sue Holdsworth (Lib Dem, Greetland and Stainland) said the plans should be accepted.

“As a council, we are obliged to build a significant number of new houses to accommodate residents and would-be residents of this area.

“It’s a brownfield site, which is, frankly, an eyesore.

“We are going to have to build houses.

“It is brownfield, it is very accessible to the main centres of employment.

“If we don’t deliver housing, the new Government legislation is going to impose development on us and we don’t have anything to fight back,” she said.

The legal agreement covers areas including 25 per cent of the homes being “affordable”, and delivery of pedestrian crossings on Brighouse Road, Wakefield Road and close to the junction with St Giles’ Road, costing £155,000.

It secures design requirements for some custom homes and biodiversity net gain (the latter worth £412,750 to the council) and a requirement to offset emissions (set at £70,672).

A contribution of £242,589 towards off-site improvements to public open space in the area is also included.