‘Time to put Castle Hill scheme out of its misery’
A LEADING critic of plans to redevelop part of Castle Hill have called on The Thandi Bros to kill the scheme.
Elaborate plans for a restaurant/cafe bar along with six guest rooms and exhibition/interpretation room, toilets, car parking and ancillary accommodation have been put forward by design planners, One 17.
Kirklees Council owns the freehold of the land formerly occupied by the hotel. The Thandis are tenants on a 999-year lease, paying rent of just £7.63 per annum.
A fierce debate lasting 15 years has raged over the 4,000-year-old Neolithic site which overlooks Almondbury Huddersfield’s best-known landmark since the former Castle Hill Hotel was demolished in 2005.
But the latest plans have run into quicksand with a host of consultees opposed to the development with Kirklees councillor Bernard McGuin, (Con, Almondbury), saying it is time for the Bros to admit defeat and leave it alone.
He said: “Most of the consultees are against the scheme and I think it is time to put it out of its misery.”
And Kirklees Council look to have thrown a major spanner into the plans after they wrote a detailed letter to the Bros’ architects, One 17, saying an archaeological assessment was necessary to satisfy West Yorkshire Archaelogical Advisory Service.
Huddersfield MP Barry Sheerman who supports the development and has seen a succession of attempts to develop the site over the years said he was in favour of such an assessment as previous ones had been carried out by “well-meaning amateurs”.
He said: “I would like to see something put together up there, on the same footprint of the previously demolished inn, where people could enjoy a cup of coffee and a glass of wine.
“I think it is a bit cheeky to ask for such an assessment but, that aside, if we could get the national lottery people to pay for it then I think it would be a good idea.
“It’s a national monument and is visited by people from far and wide and it would be great to know from professional people precisely what is under its turf.”
In his letter to One 17, the council says: “Really what is needed is a detailed archaeological impact assessment, written with explicit reference to the current proposed development, (including the proposed widening of the access road to provide passing points, the proposed car park works and any necessary services works), the findings of previous site investigations and what is known about the extent of previous development of the site...”