Farmhouse to be demolished if homes plan approved

Wakefield Council has approved the demolition of the farmhouse in Altofts

A farmhouse and associated buildings will be demolished if plans are approved for a major housing development in a West Yorkshire village.

Permission has been granted to knock down Altofts Hall Farm near Wakefield, subject to councillors voting in favour of a scheme to build 408 homes on surrounding countryside.

Almost 1,000 residents have objected to Taylor Wimpey’s application to build the properties on 18 hectares of land off Station Lane in Altofts.

The developer previously said it was "confident" concerns had been addressed.

Altofts Community Action Group launched a campaign to stop the project when the plans were submitted in March 2023, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Objectors said the village was becoming a "concrete jungle" and did not have the infrastructure to cope with the development.

Wakefield Council’s planning and highways committee is expected to vote on the plan later this year.

The property will be knocked down if plans for new homes are approved later this year

A separate application for prior approval to demolish the farm buildings was approved by planning officers on Wednesday.

A statement submitted on behalf of Taylor Wimpey said the demolition of the properties would “speed up” the development.

The document says none of the buildings have listed status and the site is not in a conservation area.

The demolition plan attracted 103 objections from residents who were concerned over a loss of historic buildings.

But a council officer’s report said the objections were “not material” to the application.

Commenting on the housing scheme last year, action group member Allison Lund said: “The proposed development is overbearing and out of scale for the village.

“Once completed it would increase the size of Altofts by a quarter.

“At peak and school times we have standing traffic the full length of Station Road in both directions.

“There is no way the road would be able to cope.

“It will put an extra burden on roads, schools and GP and dental surgeries.

A Taylor Wimpey spokesperson said Altofts Hall Farm was a vacant farmhouse which had been subject to various specialist surveys.

"The survey reports recommend demolition of the farm buildings on the grounds of health and safety, particularly given their close proximity to a footpath and a school.

“We have submitted a demolition application, which has been approved by the council, to demolish the farmhouse.

"This is not being done in favour of the residential development, and is purely being carried out on the grounds of health and safety," they added.

The spokesperson said the firm has "engaged consistently" throughout the process and were confident issues around sustainability and public amenity had been met.

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