Controversial new Amazon warehouse in Cleckheaton refused permission to be built in victory for local campaigners

Today (March 15) Kirklees Council’s Strategic Planning Committee met to discuss the application. This would have seen a massive warehouse, described during the meeting as “a blot on the landscape” built on agricultural land West of the M62 for 24/7 operation.

The panel the development, which Amazon claimed would have created up to 1,700 jobs in the first year. Four Kirklees councillors voted to refuse the application.

The refusal follows a huge campaign against the proposals from Save Our Spen. Since the application came to light in 2021, the group raised a number of issues from increased traffic to the impact of light and noise coming from the warehouse.

The application received over 2,000 representations – the majority of which opposed the plans. Objections ranged from those surrounding increased traffic, light and noise pollution and the size of the building.

Several speakers attended the meeting including Cleckheaton councillor John Lawson. He said: “We must have the right application on such a site and this isn’t it.”

Scholes resident Alison Abbott gave an emotional speech at the meeting and shared fears for the impact pollution created by the site would have on the area. She said: “My home will no longer be my sanctuary due to 24/7 noise and I won’t be able to open windows knowing that all that pollution is there.”

MP Kim Leadbeater joined the meeting online and said she could list more than 100 reasons why the proposal was wrong for the people of Batley and Spen, Scholes and for Kirklees.

Cllr Tyler Hawkins (Labour, Dalton), Cllr Andrew Pinnock (Lib Dem, Cleckheaton), Cllr Bill Armer (Con, Kirkheaton) and Cllr Mark Thompson (Con, Birstall and Birkenshaw) voted for the refusal of the application.