No asbestos in air around building site - council

Independent testing found no asbestos in the air at a building site in Cleckheaton

No asbestos has been found in the air around a building site in Cleckheaton, Kirklees Council said, after traces were found in dust samples from nearby homes earlier this summer.

Samples taken from homes near the Westgate development in June and July were analysed by asbestos specialist Acorn, which found there was amosite (brown asbestos) present in two samples, and chrysotile (white asbestos) in three.

Kirklees Council has since carried out extra independent testing which found "no asbestos fibres were detected in the air around the site".

Affordable housing provider Thirteen Group said work on the site, undertaken by Strata Homes, was being carried out in "full compliance" with regulations.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service said that residents had repeatedly called on the council to step in and put a stop to the development.

The work was not stopped but the local authority commissioned further air quality testing which was carried out last week.

The council said that the independent tests carried out on the site's boundary detected no asbestos in the air, with monitoring to continue this week.

It has also advised the developer to take further steps to stop dust escaping from the site, including extra damping measures.

'Work not affecting air quality'

A statement on Kirklees Council's website reads: "Residents raised concerns that dust from the site could contain asbestos.

"To provide reassurance, we commissioned independent testing in addition to the safety checks the developer is already required to carry out.

"No asbestos fibres were detected in the air around the site.

"This means that the works, based on the evidence so far, are not affecting air quality in a way that would harm nearby homes."

Planning permission for the 180-home Westgate development was granted in October 2023 to market housing developer Strata Homes.

Afterwards, the site was taken on by Thirteen Group, though the construction is still being carried out by Strata Homes.

It was known during the planning process that parts of the site were contaminated with asbestos, with a remediation strategy drawn up to address this.

Though it later emerged that Strata Homes had not been aware that an asbestos factory had once been located on part of the site. This was confirmed through historical records and accounts of former workers.

A spokesperson for Strata said that this detail had not been deliberately concealed, and despite this new information, it was "unlikely" that it would have changed the site investigations, testing or remediation approach being taken.

Thirteen Group has maintained that work on the site is being carried out in a "phased and controlled" manner and in "full compliance" with national regulations.

Earlier this month, chief executive Matt Forest said a number of site visits had been undertaken by Kirklees Council and the Health and Safety Executive with nothing of concern being found during "various assessments".

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