Judicial review urged on homes bid in Apperley Bridge

Planners last month granted permission for the scheme of 267 homes at Simpsons Green, Apperley Road in Apperley Bridge despite a huge wave of opposition.

Bradford Council had received 287 objections plus two petitions against the proposal and just one letter of support when its Regulatory and Appeals Committee met to discuss the homes.

Campaigners against the development are now working towards a judicial review.

Rupy Hayre, spokeswoman for Apperley Bridge Residents’ Action Group, said: “We do not have the infrastructure in place in the area. The local schools are way oversubscribed. There were over 100 primary schoolchildren who were denied places in local schools due to over subscription within the Bradford East area (includes Idle, Thackley, Apperley Bridge).

“There are a lot of young professional families in the area. People are moving here for the schools and the other amenities in the area.

“It’s a green area. It’s a beautiful place to live if you have young children and it is just being destroyed.

“The main entrance to this site is on a residential road. It’s a few yards up from a swing bridge over the [Leeds and Liverpool] Canal.

“People are concerned about traffic generated by the new development, in particular how the swing bridge will cope with the big influx of the extra cars.”

The development will also include public open space with associated access, parking and landscaping.