Plan to build homes yards from Railway Children station is refused

A planning application for nine homes at Mytholmes Lane in Oakworth, was first revealed earlier this summer. But Bradford Council has now thrown out the plans, saying the site’s green belt location meant it was “totally unacceptable.”

The homes would have been built a short distance from the village rail station that was the main location for the beloved family film. Part of the site is opposite a property on Station Road that doubled up as the home of Bernard Cribbins’ character Station Master Perks in the movie. The land is green belt, and is currently used as informal parking.

The application, by the Standard Life Trustee Company, said the land has “an appearance of neglect” adding: “The development of this small site will not prejudice the purpose of green belt land.”

Among those to object to the plans were Councillor Rebecca Poulsen. She said: “Access is either down Station Road, over a railway crossing and along a single tracked road with a 90 degree turn or via the narrow Vale Mill Lane and through a dangerous bend with no visibility of oncoming traffic. If vehicles meet along this section of road they have to mount the section of pavement to get passed. Some of the route has no pavement and with the access difficulties it makes it dangerous for pedestrians. Given the proximity to the historic Oakworth Station this area attracts a high number of tourists so this makes access even harder to navigate.”

Planning officers have now refused the application. They said: “It is clear that this development is wholly unacceptable given its location within the green belt. It has not been demonstrated that the new dwellings would not have additional impact on openness. The proposed development would constitute inappropriate development in the Green Belt and in the absence of any meaningful demonstration of very special circumstances, which may warrant the proposal being treated as an exception. The nine houses and ancillary development would appear as sprawl and would be contrary to the purposes of green belt.”

They too raised highways concerns, adding: “Mytholmes Lane is an adopted highway but one that is of substandard width and which has many physical constraints including substandard pedestrian linkages, a tunnel through the neighbouring mill, closely followed by a blind corner. The proposed houses would lead to an increased number of vehicles and pedestrians and an increased risk of conflicts on the narrow road, close to blind bends.”