RL club and developer team up in masterplan for 234 homes

COUNCILLORS are to vote on a controversial masterplan which could lead to a large residential development on land next to Dewsbury Rams’ Tetley’s stadium.

The rugby league club and developers Stirling Scotfield have drawn up a plan to redevelop land at Owl Lane.

Kirklees Council’s Cabinet committee will decide whether to give the scheme its support at a meeting on Tuesday, April 9.

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Officers are recommending councillors approve the masterplan, concluding: “There is a prospect of planning permission being granted for the development proposed.” The masterplan has to be approved by the council –
as landlord – before a plan-
ning application can be submitted.

A report to Cabinet outlines the proposed development, to include:

A replacement practice pitch.

Two multi-use games areas.

A park and green corridor.

Public space, footpaths and a cycleway.

Car parking to serve the rugby club and community facilities.

A residential development of 234 homes.

The report says the residential scheme is presented as being ‘enabling development’ to secure the long-term future of Dewsbury Rams and to deliver “wider community facilities”.

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The developer has told the council the scheme is financially viable.

It is proposed that a charitable trust fund, the Dewsbury Rams Development Fund, is set up to administer money raised from the development.

This fund will be administered by a development board with representatives from Kirklees Council and Dewsbury Rams, according to the report.

“The board will oversee the income from the community facilities, the development payments and the expenditure of the fund.

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“The fund will only be permitted to be used for the enhancement, administration and delivery of the community development/education work of the Club and for the administration/management and maintenance of the community facilities.”

It is also proposed that land currently leased to Stirling Scotfield and earmarked for the development of community facilities (ie, practice pitch and multi-use games areas) be dedicated to the trust in order to ensure that the facilities are available for use by the wider community and the club, the report notes.

It is proposed that land to the west of Bywell Close be given back to Kirklees Council as public amenity space “in order to reassure local residents that no future development of that land will be proposed.”

If the masterplan is approved, the club envisages that outline planning permission will be sought within three months.

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Local councillors say the proposals remain controversial because the site is within green belt.

In planning terms, building homes and car parking would be considered inappropriate unless the developer can demonstrate that very special circumstances exist that would outweigh the harm to green belt.

Yesterday Coun Paul Kane said it was clear that the proposals would have a big impact on people living in the area. Councillors wanted to ensure that any deal would benefit residents as much as possible, he added.

And he wants to ensure that money placed under the control of a Trust is spent on schemes which will benefit the community.

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He wants to see the Trust administered by members of the community and the council.

Coun Cathy Scott said the masterplan proposals had prompted “mixed opinions”.

She declined to say whether she was in favour or against the development, only saying she remained “very open-minded”.

Coun Scott said significant numbers opposed the housing scheme because it was green belt land.