Housing scheme for ‘derelict’ site backed despite objections

Developers PC Ltd and Yorkshire Housing have submitted plans for 49 affordable homes on land off Healey Lane at Batley, West Yorkshire.

The site is a rectangular piece of land, surrounded by homes on all sides.

It was formerly used as a recreation ground and sports and social club for employees of JCT 600 but the facility was closed in 1994.

Fenced off, the site is now inaccessible and has been described by Kirklees Council planners as “in a derelict state, covered by low level scrub and vegetation, with large areas of hard standing”.

Planning permission is being sought for 49 homes in a mixture of two, three and four-beds, nearly all of which are semi-detached.

A handful of objectors have come forward to claim the site is not suitable for a housing scheme.

One said: “The site is located and accessed from an access directly opposite a busy school. This is a dangerous access and the additional traffic generated will make the situation even worse, representing a serious traffic hazard.”

Others claimed that, because the site is “green field”, it should be protected from development.

In a report, planning officers say the site already has existing approval for residential use and the principle of housing on this site has already been agreed.

The report says: “Currently the site is a fenced off and poorly maintained area of land classified as being of low value within the Kirklees Council Open Space Study.

“As such it makes little contribution to amenity either in terms of facilities or visually.”

It adds: “The scheme provides a new area of open space, retains substantial numbers of trees and boundary treatments, as well as a landscape scheme. This represents an enhancement of the site in terms of visual amenity.”

Planners are suggesting the scheme be given the go ahead, subject to an agreement that the developer provides an area of public open space and makes a financial contribution towards future educational provision.

The planning report concludes: “This is a complex site with a range of issues that need to be considered as a whole, and as such any decision will have to be a balanced one.”

In a separate scheme, developer Great Lime Holdings Ltd is seeking outline planning permission for 42 homes on land off White Lee Road at Batley.

The site has already been allocated for housing by Kirklees Council.

A report on the scheme says 21 letters of objection have been received.

Residents argue that the development would contain too many houses for the area and the land is green field and should be preserved for wildlife.

One letter warned: “White Lee Road is a very busy road and the new access and level of development proposed will result in additional traffic and danger to existing users of the road.”

Despite objections to the proposals, planning officers say the outline plans should be granted permission.

The planning report concludes the layout of the scheme has yet to be formalised but suggests the density of housing appears to be acceptable. “Whilst layout is not applied for (in this application) the illustrative layout indicates that an appropriate density of housing, of a type and scale that is already present in the area can be achieved, whilst respecting both visual and residential amenity,” the report states.

Local councillors have requested that residents be consulted again on the proposals, claiming the initial consultation process was “confusing and unclear” to some.

Both reports will be discussed by councillors at a meeting of its planning sub-committee, to be held at Dewsbury Town Hall, at 10am, on Thursday,.

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