Residents slam 'unsafe' plans for new homes

CAMPAIGNERS' FEARS OVER TRAFFIC INCREASE, BUT DEVELOPERS SAY HIGHWAY FLOWS HAVE DECREASED

- By ABIGAIL MARLOW

for the 75 homes in Mirfield

PLANS for a plot of Mirfield land have been branded "inherently unsafe" by local campaigners from Save Mirfield.

Five applications proposing housing development on land off Woodward Court/Wellhouse Lane have been submitted to Kirklees Council since 1983, the group has said. However none of them have got off the ground, primarily due to concerns around highways and the principle of development.

Applicant Bellway Homes hopes its current attempt will see a different outcome and has applied for planning permission to construct 75 homes on the site. The applicant believes the changes it has made will overcome previous reasons for refusal.

The land was safeguarded in the council's Local Plan, meaning no development would take place until at least 2031, when the plan expired. However, as Kirklees doesn’t have enough housing land to meet local need for the next five years - as is required by national policy - these sites can be considered for “sustainable” development.

However, campaigners have argued that the Bellway plans are not sustainable.