Huddersfield’s massive village development has been criticized as being “completely wrong” to be approved

A massive Lindley development branded ‘completely wrong’ by objectors has been given the green light.

On Thursday (June 20) Kirklees Council’s Strategic Planning Committee unanimously approved plans to build on a 6.3 hectare parcel of land off Lindley Moor Road. The site features in the council’s Local Plan, with the new development being located alongside housing and commercial units.

The application was a “hybrid”, with the developer – 2SH Developments – seeking both full planning permission and for different parts of the scheme.

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Full permission has been granted for a depot, access, parking and earthworks, meaning this element of the project can now go ahead. Planning permission has been granted for a restaurant, industrial units and office space, meaning further plans will need to be set at a later date before work can begin on this part of the scheme.

The plans were referred to the committee due to the large number of objections from residents and being considered a “major development”.

One resident said: “This proposed development would be of no value to local residents. However, it would cause further congestion on the roads in this area, which are already overcrowded. Certain roads, such as Yew Tree, which have become rat-ridden, deteriorate rapidly and reach a state where they are not fit for purpose.”

Another said: “This development is completely wrong to be proposing here. Please listen to all local residents. Your planners and advisors say we are asking for more facilities etc but we are not!

“We like the green fields here, that’s why we live here. We don’t want it to turn into an industrial area. The place is becoming unsafe due to traffic and pollution.

“This area is neither suitable nor suitable for this development. We don’t want more supermarkets or takeaways, there are enough in the area.

“Weatherhill Road is a nightmare trying to get out of, Lindley moor Road is gridlocked at rush hour and that will make it worse. There is already a lot of anti-social behavior and speeding and this will only increase that.”

When the matter was discussed by the committee, Councilor Mark Thompson (Con, Birstall and Birkenshaw) raised concerns about the potential for the site to be used for last mile distribution – where goods are picked up from a site to their final destination . He said this “almost always” causes problems, especially for small villages, and asked if a condition could be placed on the app to restrict this.

However, after some discussion, the condition was not added and the plans were unanimously approved as recommended by officers.

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