Open cast mining plan set to be rejected

Gordon Harrison Ltd has submitted plans to Kirklees Council to extract 190,000 tonnes of clay and 40,000 tonnes of fireclay from land off Litherop Lane, near Clayton West.

The council last year rejected a similar scheme for the site and councillors are being urged to turn down the latest application.

Objectors include Wakefield Council and English Heritage.

Wakefield Council said: “This open cast proposal is incompatible with the planned development of Bretton Hall and Yorkshire Sculpture Park. Planning permission has been granted to develop the hall as a hotel, spa and associated work space and office facilities which would initially provide over 400 associated jobs.”

Wakefield said the mine would cause unacceptable levels of noise, dust and disturbance.

Twenty two letters of objection have been received by Kirklees Council.

A planning committee will consider the application on Thursday.

A report to the committee recommends the plan is refused.

The report concludes that the mine “would have a significant detrimental impact on the visual amenity and landscape character of the area, particularly when viewed at distance and seen in conjunction with the surrounding Bretton Hall Estate Parkland.”