Go-ahead urged for city homes project on former quarry site

Housing developer, Harron Homes Ltd, has submitted plans to Bradford Council for an estate of 128 homes at Hazelhurst Quarry, off Hazelhurst Road at Queensbury.

The site is a former quarry to the north of Long Lane, with the remains of the quarry at the northern end of the site and the remaining land grassed over.

The developer wants to build a mixture of properties, including homes three storeys high and ranging in size from two bedrooms to five bedrooms. The majority of the homes (92) will be two storeys high.

Some will be detached and semi-detached and others will be terraced.

A report to be discussed by members of a Bradford Council planning panel on Wednesday says the principle of the development is acceptable and it is urging councillors to approve the plans.

It says the site of the proposed housing is bounded on all sides by existing houses.

The report states: “The layout of the development is such that the site is divided into two halves, one accessed from Hill End Lane/Hazelhurst Road and the second from Long Lane.

“The two areas are linked via a footpath with a defined Village Green located at the western end of the footpath.”

The entrance to the site from Long Lane is via a tree-lined boulevard with grass verges either side of the road “thus giving a pleasant ‘green’ entrance to the site,” according to the planning report.

The developer will be expected to pay Bradford Council large sums towards education and recreation improvements as part of the Section 106 legal agreement between the two.

A payment of £208,000 is expected to be made towards improving existing educational infrastructure and a further £134,000 will cover on-site recreation provision.

The developer will also be expected to provide affordable housing on the site, which will be worked out at 25 per cent of the net developable area at 35 per cent discount on open market value.

There have been some concerns expressed locally about the contaminated nature of some areas of the site and the type of waste which was used to fill in the old quarry.

An environmental appraisal discovered that quarry waste and imported excavation waste had been tipped at the quarry.

Laboratory testing found the presence of asbestos contamination within the ground and the report recommends the formation of a 60 centimetre (2.4-inch) cover layer of clean soil for gardens and landscaped areas.

Ground gas risks were not assessed within the report as gas monitoring had not been completed at the time of writing, the planning report noted.

“As such, conditions are recommended with regard to the submissions of a gas monitoring report together with a remediation report. A condition is also recommended with regards to the volume of material which may have to be imported to the site to create the levels proposed and infill the void together with associated vehicle movements into and out of the site.”

The report concludes that planning permission should be granted, subject to the legal agreement regarding developer contributions for educational and recreation provision, as well as affordable housing targets.

It said: “The scheme provided a residential scheme on an allocated phase 2 housing site. The density, scale, form, layout and design of the proposal are acceptable and present not concerns with regard to residential amenity and highway safety.

“The proposal is considered acceptable and, with the attached conditions and legal agreement to secure a contribution towards affordable housing, recreation, education and off-site highways works, satisfies the requirements of policies...”