Plans for more than 80 homes in Yorkshire village to be decided next week

If Kirklees Council’s Strategic Planning Committee gives the go-ahead on Thursday (May 16), 80 new homes will be brought to a patch of grassland off Roslyn Avenue, around 500m from the centre of Netherton. The Beaumont Arms pub sits to the south of the site, and Dean Wood lies to the north, with this including an area of ancient woodland.

Under the proposals from KCS Development Ltd, there would be a mixture of detached, semi-detached and terraced one to four-bedroomed homes, plus a block of six apartments. Each would have off-road parking, a garden, and some would come with garages.

This application is seeking “outline” planning permission, meaning that another will have to be determined at a later date. The current proposal considers access and layout, with matters relating to appearance, landscaping and scale to make up the subsequent application.

Historically, the site belonged to the green belt but this changed when it was allocated in the Local Plan. The plan highlights the sites “constraints” as potentially contaminated land, being in an area that affects the setting of Castle Hill and the proximity of Deanwood Local Wildlife site.

Netherton residents have told of their fears around the plans, with 96 comments submitted to the council. These cover a wide range of concerns including the impact on local wildlife, strain on amenities and potential traffic issues.

One resident wrote: “The fields are a green lung for the community. Many people get fine and vital exercise on them.They were a lifesaver during lockdown for myself especially. There are many dog owners, a lot elderly who use the fields everyday. Their needs should be respected.”

Another said: “The main road to town is hellishly busy at rush hour and the alternative is the rat run through South Crosland on a narrow road that is not fit for purpose and poses a danger to pedestrians, especially school children. The road network around here is inadequate for the additional car journeys generated by the proposed development.”

However, the developer says the plans will enhance the area. A document as part of the application says: “The designs have been informed by knowledge of the locality, a character study of adjacent properties and with reference to the specific planning policies to ensure the overall development is of high quality and contributes significantly to improving the local area.”