Castle Hill plans return
Castle Hill has been detrimentally affected by a lack of security, shelter, WC and refreshment facilities, or any meaningful opportunity to understand and engage with the fascinating history of the site and its component parts.
“The present proposal provides the visitor facilities currently absent from the site within the envelope of a commercial scheme.
“The commercial element enables investment in the Castle Hill site.
“It will provide a 24-hour, all year round presence that will greatly improve security for the heritage assets and should, with appropriate management agreements, enable greater access to the Victoria Tower in particular.
“The unparalleled views from this iconic structure can at present only be enjoyed on a few days of the year.”
The statement goes on to say that architects have found a way to create a building that does not harm the long distance views of the hill. They say it will boost tourism and provide jobs.
One councillor who has wasted no time making his views known, is Almondbury Tory, Clr Bernard McGuin, who described the proposal as an “aircraft hangar”.
Clr McGuin was the only dissenting voice on the Huddersfield Planning Sub-Committee when the proposal was discussed a year ago.
He said: “It is a toss up over which would be the greater vandalism, the arson attack on Saturday night or the erection of this aircraft hangar proposed to go there.
“Although aesthetic values are in the eye of the beholder, of course, there are good solid planning reasons to reject this carbuncle.
“The hill itself is the ancient monument. Some of the hill is actually man made and should not be desecrated. No-one has had the bad taste to build in the middle of Stonehenge, yet.
“Secondly, it would spoil the setting of the tower – itself a listed building. The land is in the greenbelt and the fact there was a building there has to be ignored because the footprint has been destroyed.
“There would have to be ‘Special Reason’ to overturn this. In this instance one does not spring to mind.
“Destruction of wildlife and ecology was heartbreaking to witness during the fire on Saturday night. It strengthens my resolve to protect whatever we have from sanctioned vandalism.
“What is proposed here is far larger than what was there until it was knocked down years ago.
“Also access to the hill is very difficult. It is a single track, hard to pass. I do not say nothing should be built. I would look to utilise land around the base of the monument with minimal parking.”
The plan is likely to be decided by the council’s Strategic Planning Committee in the next few months.