Call to halt building work over asbestos fears

Cleckheaton resident Tracy Weaver says living near the development is "like living in a dystopian nightmare"

Residents are urging a council and developers to stop construction work after asbestos dust was found in their homes.

Building started several months ago on 180 homes in Cleckheaton but people living nearby have raised concerns about the quantity of dust created by the works, and its contents.

The developer, Strata Homes, said the work was being carried out safely and in line with regulations.

Kirklees Council said it had carried out 19 monitoring visits in recent months and was in regular dialogue with the developer and residents.

Resident Tracy Weaver said living near the development was "like living in a dystopian nightmare".

She said: "There have been people who now need inhalers. Four of us [on the same street] have been referred to the hospital for a chest X-ray to be on the safe side. We can't get a deep breath. I can't go a whole day without an inhaler."

Another resident, who did not want to be named, said the site was not made safe before building began.

They said: "Now they're planning pile driving, which will stir up even more of the material underground. We're scared for our health."

The residents are crowdfunding in order to pursue legal action and have called for the construction to stop until independent testing and a review of safety measures is undertaken.

Developers say the council and Health and Safety Executive had visited the site and found nothing of concern

In October 2023, planning permission was granted to allow Strata Homes to build on a plot of land off Westgate, Cleckheaton.

Since then, the site has been taken on by affordable housing provider Thirteen Group with the construction being carried out by Strata Homes.

A contamination report, submitted alongside the planning application in 2023, stated asbestos was among the materials present in parts of the site.

It said evidence suggested an "unknown quantity" of asbestos was dumped in one area, which had previously been home to a chemical works, but it had been filled over by a previous tenant.

A remediation strategy was drawn up to set out how risks would be addressed and mitigated.

Since the start of the work, some residents have sent samples of the dust collecting in their homes to be analysed by asbestos specialist, Acorn.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service said resulting documents from June and July of this year concerning five properties in the area, confirmed there was amosite, known as brown asbestos, present in the dust in two samples, and chrysotile, known as white asbestos, in three samples.

Four of the samples were taken from gardens and one from an inside windowsill.

Thirteen Group said work on the site was being carried out in a "phased and controlled" manner and in "full compliance" with national regulations.

Chief executive Matt Forest said Kirklees Council and the Health and Safety Executive had found nothing of concern.

He said: "We are aware of local residents' concerns and have sought assurances from the specialist contractor handling the remediation of the site.

"The contractor has confirmed work is progressing in a phased and controlled manner, in line with the remediation plan approved by Kirklees Council, and in full compliance with national regulations."

A spokesperson for Kirklees Council said: "We understand the concerns residents have about the site and want to reassure them that we are taking them seriously.

"We have communicated with residents about the steps we are taking to keep them safe but it's clear to us that concerns remain."

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