'Absurd' plans to build housing on factory site are thrown out

Developers want to build as many as 260 houses on the site off Hessle Road in west Hull, which was cleared last year.

A planning committee meeting at Hull's Guildhall heard that residents were backing the housing proposals, as they feared more industry being built next door to their homes.

Speaking on behalf of developers Birds Eye Iglo Group, Miranda Barnes said surrounding housing ruled out "traditional" employment and the research and development sector would prefer to locate close to a university, or hospital and not a suburban site.

She urged councillors to be "pragmatic" and avoid the site becoming a magnet for anti-social behaviour, claiming housing "provides more benefits than aspirations for a business park which will never come forward".

A majority of councillors disagreed, however, including Councillor Tom McVie, who branded the plans a "disgrace".

"To give away one of the last five or six sites in the city on a whim, which is basically what this is, is absurd," he said. "A company has chosen to renege on its commitment to Hull, to up sticks and shove off.

"It is then demolished. It now wants the highest possible return by flogging it off for housing having taken out the hundreds and hundreds of jobs that sustain the city.

"I find it a bit rich, not only have we lost out on jobs, now we are going to take away the exact site where you put replacement jobs. That's a disgrace, it really is.

"This is so important to the city, it can't be left to residents surrounding the site."

Earlier in the meeting Councillor Rick Welton, a board member of the housing quango Gateway, claimed the plans would not undermine its own plans for development on the nearby Amy Johnson site, saying the housing on the Hessle Road site would be "substantially different."

But several councillors pointed out the dearth of jobs.

Councillor Pat Ellis said: "It's no good building house after house after house when these people have no opportunities for employment."

Resident Hilary Boynton who has lived opposite the site since 1993, said she was appalled by the decision. She said the factory had "belched out grease", emitted an "unbelievable" stench and was noisy throughout the night.

"They are just not listening to us. There are all these empty units, hundreds of them all over town, and they are on about a prime site – no way."

Coun Abigail Bell, who backed residents along with her ward councillors, said: "I am very disappointed on behalf of the residents. But we will continue to make sure that whatever the future of the site, residents are involved in these developments."

The shutdown of the Birds Eye plant, which employed as many 600 people, was announced in January 2007, just two months after Unilever sold the company to venture capitalists Permira in a 1.16bn deal. The site opened in 1967 to produce fish fingers, fish cakes and frozen peas.

A report to the committee said Hull will need good quality sites to build a "high-value, high-skilled knowledge and enterprise based economy", adding: "Regeneration of the economy is especially important when seen against the background that Hull currently has over 14,000 unemployment benefit claimants – about 8.4 per cent of the working population, the highest in the Yorkshire and Humber region."

The plans were rejected seven to three.

The company now has six months to decide whether to lodge an appeal.