Ex-builder’s dream of holiday home for disabled suffers blow

Steve Sellars has invested around £20,000 of his own money into the Birds Edge Countryside Project at Birds Edge, near Huddersfield, and volunteers have contributed thousands of hours of their time.

The 66-year-old retired builder and landscaper from Holmfirth proposed to construct a cabin for holiday accommodation, with full disabled facilities, set within the wildlife haven, which includes areas of grassland and semi-mature and recently-planted woodland.

But Kirklees Council planners rejected his plan for a holiday lodge on the green belt land.

And now a planning inspector, Karen Baker, has dismissed Mr Sellars’s appeal against the decision.

She was concerned the “eco-cabin” being proposed would intensify the use of the site.

In a report, she said: “Although the appellant (Mr Sellars) states that the eco-cabin would reduce the number of journeys to and from the site from workers who could stay overnight, I am concerned that its occupation by both holidaymakers and workers would intensify the use on the site,

“In particular it would be likely to lead to an increase in visitors to the appeal site and their subsequent comings and goings and parking of vehicles.

“In addition, holidaymakers would be likely to require an area for sitting out and drying clothes close to the eco-cabin, which would lead to an increase in domestic paraphernalia in and around the appeal site, to the detriment of the openness of the Green Belt.”

Mr Sellars argued that income generated from use of cabin would fund work on the wider project and create a part-time job.

He said the wildlife haven and associated paths, which caters for the needs of disabled people, were unique in Kirklees.

He said overnight accommodation, with disabled facilities, would enable disabled people to experience prolonged access to the wildlife haven.

Mr Sellars argued that his plans would help bring tourists into the area and compared his development to that of an existing vineyard at Woodhouse Farm at Holmbridge, near Holmfirth.

The vineyard owners had been given permission for, among other things, an “eco-lodge” in an existing quarry which lies within green belt land.

In the case of the vineyard, the council considered that the contribution of the development as a whole – which included an extension to the existing winery to form a visitors’ centre comprising a wine tasting area, a wine shop, a kitchen and washroom facilities – to securing the viability of an existing rural enterprise and to the growth of tourism would be of sufficient weight to outweigh the harm to the green belt.

The planning inspector accepted Mr Sellars’s arguments but said these were not strong enough reasons for overturning the presumption that green belt should remain undeveloped unless there were special circumstances.

Mr Sellars told the Yorkshire Post the decision was another setback but he would be “battling on”.

“It means that disabled holiday makers won’t have the option of staying on the nature reserve that we are creating.

“I am not surprised that it was turned down because the project is not finished. Maybe we jumped the gun (in putting in the eco-lodge application).

“The wildlife haven is open to the public now, although only local villagers use it for dog walking at the moment.

“People have seen me struggle with this project for 10 years. Now we are a charity we are getting grant aid but the funding has dried up. Whenever I get chance I get up there and do the work myself. But I spend so much time raising funds I can’t get up there often.”

To get involved in the project contact Mr Sellars on 01484 684797.