Councillors give go-ahead to under-fire development
A HOUSING development slammed as “an accident waiting to happen” was approved by Kirklees Council yesterday.
Holmfirth residents made 50 objections in an effort to demonstrate the strength of feeling against plans to bring five homes to a plot of land behind numbers five and seven on Oakes Lane, Brockholes. Despite this, the panel opted to vote in favour of council officer’s recommendations to approve the application.
Yesterday’s decision granted “outline” planning permission, meaning that a further application will have to be determined at a later date. In this case, it will relate to landscaping. However, the panel was not in agreement with three councillors voting for approval, and four voting to defer the application. The deciding vote to approve the plans was cast by the chair of the committee, Clr Sheikh Ullah (Labour, Greenhead).
An earlier application saw seven homes proposed for the site but this was considered to be an “overdevelopment” with the number subsequently reduced. The applicant’s agent Nick Willock attended the meeting, speaking in support of the plans.
Summing up, he said: “This application would provide a much-needed small development of five dwellings which will help contribute towards the council’s chronic undersupply of housing and also prevent the equivalent area of green belt land being needed in the forthcoming Local Plan review.”
Mr Willock also addressed the concerns around the footpath walked by children on their way to school that is in close proximity to an access road which had previously been described as an “accident waiting to happen” by an objecting resident. He told the meeting that the path had been gifted to the local community by his clients’ family and that its existence was a “bonus, not a problem”.
Ward councillor Charles Greaves (Holme Valley North, Independent) also spoke at the meeting. He asked the committee to defer the application and request that the proposed three-storey properties be changed to two-storeys, and that the number of homes be reduced from five to four to allow for greater distance between them.
He said: “The proposal’s come a long way since it first came to us two years ago – they’ve dropped from seven to five, they’ve looked at making improvements to the public right of way and highways issues have been addressed. I think a little bit further and we will end up with something that will be acceptable all round.”
Committee member, Clr Donna Bellamy (Con, Holme Valley North), said she had some concerns with the application. She agreed with Clr Greaves’ proposal to reduce the number of homes to improve the distance between the homes and said the three-storey homes would look “very much out of place”.
Clr John Lawson (Lib Dem, Cleckheaton) said it was “notable” how much work had been done by the developer to address concerns that arose with the original application. However, the councillor was not also content with the “dominance” of the three-storey properties.
Clr Eric Firth (Labour, Dewsbury East) felt differently and said: “I think it’s an innovative use of a very difficult site and I think just about all the angles have been covered.” The councillor moved approval of the application and this was seconded by Clr James Homewood (Labour, Ashbrow).
However, Clr Bellamy moved deferral of the application, with this seconded by Clr Imran Safdar (Kirklees Community Independents, Crosland Moor and Netherton).
When it came to the vote, three members of the committee – Cllr Mohan
Sokhal (Labour, Greenhead), Clr Firth, Clr Homewood and Clr Ullah – voted to approve the application, and four – Clr Bellamy, Clr Safdar, Clr Lawson and Clr Tony McGrath (Con, Holme Valley North) – voted for its deferral.