More than 635 objections to homes proposal
A WELL-ORCHESTRATED resistance to new homes near Huddersfield has produced what is thought to be the highest level of official objections in a decade.
There have been 637 separate representations by members of the public against Persimmon’s 250 home scheme off Netherton Moor Road at Netherton.
It is expected the final number of objections uploaded to Kirklees Council’s planning portal will be near 800 when council officials catch up with the backlog to the huge opposition to the homes near Hinchliffe’s Farm Shop.
It is thought the campaign coordinated by Netherton Community Action Group has generated the highest level of objections since the campaign to stop Tesco in Holmfirth in 2009 saw over 1,200 people write to Kirklees Council to oppose the scheme.
A recent housing plan in Mirfield saw about 900 object but most of those were on a petition, not separate letters.
Villagers from Netherton, South Crosland and the surrounding area have raised fears about the local roads, rights of way, flooding and overcrowding of local schools and health facilities. The plan was recently revised to increase it from 215 homes to 250 on the request of the council, which is keen for developers to help it meet its government mandated new homes targets.
Members of the public are not the only ones with concerns.
Some of the official bodies that are asked to comment have raised significant issues with the proposal by Britain’s biggest housebuilder.
West Yorkshire Police’s ‘Designing Out Crime Officer’ said the firm had ignored his recommendations when revising its plan last June.
His letter to the council’s planning department says: “I am disappointed to say that these revised plans are actually worse in terms of designing out crime than the first ones I commented upon last year.”
The officer’s concerns surround running footpaths behind and to the side of people’s homes, allowing easier access for break-ins. He also criticises recessed entry gates to back gardens where criminals can hide, secluded parking areas and a lack of street lights.
Meanwhile, the council’s own Highways team has admitted that Netherton Moor Road is not up to standard to cope with the increase in traffic from hundreds of new homes.
“A full carriageway reconstruction scheme is required,” commented an official. “It is considered that the application is not acceptable in its current form from a highways perspective.”
If the homes were to be approved, Persimmon would be asked to pay for the new road.
The council’s Education department estimates Newsome High School could easily cope with the new population as it has 125 surplus places. But Netherton Infants and South Crosland primary schools would both need to create dozens of new places. Persimmon would be asked for in excess of £617,000 to fund the expansion.
The contentious plan is due to be decided at the council’s Strategic Planning Committee on August 26.