Row over £12.2m ‘key’ link road to new business park
A COUNCIL’S proposals for a £12.2 million “key” link road and related compulsory purchase powers, linked to a proposed business park, have come under fire.
Earlier this month Calderdale Council Cabinet councillors approved “in principle” using compulsory purchase powers to secure land which would become a link road for a proposed new business park at Clifton, Brighouse.
The placing of the road puzzled some scrutiny councillors, who said a map had not been provided to the decisionmaking senior councillors, and queried where exactly it would be.
Conservative councillors had “called-in” for scrutiny two decisions relating to Clifton, arguing the issues had major financial implications and needed debating by the full council.
Cabinet had also agreed to submit a £600,000 bid to West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s (WYCA) Employment Land Accelerator Fund to fund the next stages of work for the Clifton Business Park.
Bids made by the council for Levelling Up funding to Government in 2021 and 2022 were unsuccessful but Cabinet have resolved to keep exploring funding options for the scheme which they see as crucial to developing Calderdale’s economy.
Ultimately, a majority of councillors voted for both Cabinet decisions to be released for implementation.
Coun Steven Leigh (Con, Ryburn) said the proposals were of massive importance. If councillors did not know exactly where it would go, that brought costs into question.
“Do we really want to push through massive legislation, which this is part of, without knowing where it goes, what it’s going to cost, where it starts?” said Coun Leigh.
The link road is also described as a key part of supporting infrastructure for a proposed garden community at nearby Thornhills.
Coun Helen Brundell (Lab, Todmorden) said an overarching point was the council was often criticised for not thinking about infrastructure for new developments.
“I think here we have something which is putting that mechanism in place.
“Other areas are building industrial estates and we need to make sure we have the viability here to do the same,” she said. The council’s Director of Regeneration and Strategy, Shelagh
O’Neill, agreed a map would have been helpful but the route was known - the link road would meet the A643 at America Lane and join the A644 just east of Locksley Road.
Coun Leigh was speaking after the council’s Place Scrutiny Board had heard deputations on the issues from Clifton residents Ed Spivey and Andy McElligott, expressing concerns.
Cabinet member for Climate Action, Active Travel and Housing, Coun Scott Patient (Lab, Luddenden Foot) told the board Cabinet members were in command of all the facts.
Mr Spivey said contrary to the assertion in Cabinet papers that circumstances changed since a previous, now abandoned, approved CPO proposal for the business park, they had not actually changed.
Proposals for a large housing development and an industrial estate were still in place, albeit with the planning permission lapsed, he understood.
He said progress with the business park had been not “disappointing” as the Cabinet papers posited but “a complete failure” to progress the former CPO or deliver, or fund, the site.
Coun Patient said the meaning of what was “disappointing” regarding the CPO process previously could be picked over and regarding failed Levelling Up bids, his thoughts were “there might have been some politics in that”.
Mr Spivey questioned the “enterprise zone” status, and status and funding of work which might be required on a junction of the M62 motorway.
Ms O’Neill said West Yorkshire Combined Authority was the successor body to the former Leeds Enterprise Partnership and the commitment to Clifton enterprise zone remained.
It was a complex and challenging site and it not yet being delivered was not due to any lack of commitment on the council’s part.
A scheme had to represent value for money, she said. Mr McElligott said a plan identifying the land required via CPO powers was not included with the Cabinet document.
“How can councillors vote for a scheme with significant implications for the council without understanding the location?” he said. He also queried evidence the council had given in September 2020 to the Planning Inspector determining Calderdale’s new Local Plan which said there was no strategic link required to deliver homes at Thornhills - but the link road was now being quoted as a key part of supporting infrastructure for the homes.