Plan for 300 new homes approved despite concerns

The development will include 30 homes for "affordable rent" and 31 to be sold as part of a shared ownership scheme

Plans to build more than 300 homes in a West Yorkshire town have been approved by councillors.

The housing will be built on land near Exley Lane in Elland by Avant Homes North Yorkshire and J S Morton & Son.

The plans were opposed by some residents and all three Calderdale councillors for the town, due to concerns about flooding, pedestrian routes, design and highway safety.

Calderdale Council's planning committee was told by officers that not delivering homes on the site, which has already been assigned for housing, would have a "severe impact" on the authority's ability to meet its housing needs.

The committee granted full permission for 306 of the homes on part of the site north of Exley Lane.

It granted outline planning permission, covering access only at this stage, for a further 130 homes on land which is to the south of Exley Lane.

Committee members had deferred a decision in April, asking for improvements to be made to the design of the scheme and this time a majority were satisfied their concerns had been met.

One person who objected to the scheme claimed reports about concerns over pedestrian routes had not been received, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

He also said he feared a traffic light and signalling scheme risked blocking traffic and said residents would face a lengthy walking distance from the town's proposed new rail station and bus stop.

Elland ward councillor David Veitch echoed those concerns.

"On pedestrianisation, the scheme proposed is inadequate to the point of dangerous," he said.

He also claimed the development would have an "unacceptable impact on highway safety," and said the flood risk assessments did not provide "robust" information.

'Deliver homes'

However, consultant Mark Watson said surveying work had been shared with the flood authorities.

Conditions imposed on the developers included an agreed drainage outflow into the River Calder, rather than the Calder and Hebble Navigation canal.

Chris Megson, regional planning manager for Avant Homes, said improvements to pedestrian access and the proportion of accessible homes had all been made since April.

The scheme would include 30 homes for "affordable rent" and 31 to be sold through shared ownership arrangements.

"It really is critical the development can come forward on allocated sites promptly to deliver the new homes needed to support Calderdale," he said.

The majority of councillors supported approving the plans, subject to the agreed conditions.

Councillor Jonathan Timbers said homes were needed, particularly accessible and affordable ones.

"It is not a perfect site but it was allocated in the Local Plan and approved by the Planning Inspectorate, so I don't think there is a reasonable basis for refusal," he said.

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