Asbestos-site house plan rejected

Lyn and Christine Gledhill wanted to build a three-bedroom house at Billy Lane, Old Town, Hebden Bridge, beside the canteen which once serviced the Acre Mill asbestos factory .

But according to planning inspector Sian Worden, concerns that asbestos might contaminate the site have to be taken seriously.

The mill closed in 1971 and was later demolished but the canteen became a car museum and land beside it was used as a car park.

The planning inspector has rejected an appeal for a house to be built there because it would significantly reduce the openness of the green belt and would encroach into the countryside.

Mr Gledhill of Cousin Lane, Wadsworth, submitted a contamination report which related to a neighbouring site and did not entail any excavation.

"Without further information about the likely location, type and level of any contamination, it is not clear whether it would be possible to develop the site safely," said the inspector.

The Legacy of Acre Mill Group feared disturbing a known asbestos dump to build a family home could have catastrophic consequences.