A meeting of Kirklees Council’s Huddersfield planning sub-committee heard an application that, now approved, will see 42 homes built on land off Lingards Road, Slaithwaite. The site features in Kirklees Council’s Local Plan and was projected to have a capacity for 36 homes – a point of concern for some objectors.

Other issues highlighted during the meeting included the rural land becoming urbanised, the impact of the overall development, especially how three-storey homes would impact the landscape, flooding and drainage, a newly proposed access road impacting a nearby property, parking concerns, and the fear the suggested affordable housing was inadequate.

Several objectors attended the meeting to make their voices heard including Robert Bamford, who said they weren’t trying to stop the development, but wanted a good quality development that fit with the landscape and neighbourhood.

He said: “We have always said our main objection is the building design, layout and housing density conflict sharply with the rural fringe Pennine hillside location and will have an unacceptable adverse impact on the landscape and existing properties bordering the site.

“We’ve said this many times to the planners. Isn’t it then strange if not a little offensive that the planners don’t even mention it in their report? How dare they say that the proposals are acceptable and not detrimental to the amenity of neighbouring residents. They don’t live here and don’t know the neighbourhood like we do.”

Mr Bamford also expressed concern for flooding and said it wasn’t acceptable to build the attenuation tank on a very steep slope as it would be difficult to maintain. Regarding Kirklees Council being prepared to exceed the number of properties for the site stated in their Local Plan he said he “did not expect the plan to be thrown in the bin when convenient to do so”.

Another objector, Kay Wrench, shared her fears for Slaithwaite’s future generations. She said: “We live very close to a beautiful wet and windy site. Where are the wind turbines, the heat pumps, the solar panels, the loss of amenity for walkers and cyclists, as Lingards Road is turned into Lingards Canyon.”

Coun Lesley Warner spoke of the changes she has witnessed in Slaithwaite as a resident and a Colne Valley councillor for the past three-and-a-half years. She said: “The number one issue in Colne Valley is that we are wet, it rains a lot, the mud, and you put more houses and concrete in an area where we have endless problems with run off and rain.

“I can’t tell you how many houses I go to where paths are being eroded, where unadopted roads are no longer accessible and this does not seem to have been taken into account. It seems an example once again of a lack of consultation with locals, lack of transparency and how on earth this area got onto the Local Plan for houses, I don’t know.”

She went on to speak of other issues regarding increased traffic, flooding and the contribution towards schools not being enough. She added: “Whilst there’s always going to be an aspect of views being lost, to build it on muddy, wet hillside in the Colne Valley is frankly bonkers.”

Stephen Byram, managing director and founder of SB Homes also attended the meeting. Mr Byram said he lives and works in Colne Valley and has been working with Kirklees Council’s planning department to deliver the project for two years.

He said: “We feel this development will bring many benefits to the local community: new housing, social housing, contributions to local schools, new footpath links linking Lingards Road to Manchester Road, open space through the site and footpath links throughout the site.”

The applicant has previously addressed some concerns of the objectors by reducing the number of proposed homes from 57 to 42. On the developer, Coun Donald Firth told the meeting: “The local people want to think themselves lucky that they’ve got a local builder.”

The applicant will also have to meet a number of conditions including having eight affordable homes, making a £161,274.66 contribution towards education requirements as a result of the development, and a £99,038 contribution towards off-site measures to achieve biodiversity net gain.

Coun Tyler Hawkins said he felt the suggested designs were “broadly in line” with the existing developments and how he hopes the applicant’s financial contributions will offset the environmental damage. He added saw no reason to refuse the application that would hold up in an appeal.

After hearing from officers, seven out of ten councillors voted for the proposal, three against meaning the application was approved subject to the officer’s conditions.

Plan to build 42 homes on rural land in Yorkshire approved despite 350 objections