Netherton: Concerns raised over plans for 82 new homes

An artist's impression of what the new homes could look like

Concerns have been raised over plans to build 80 new homes next to a busy village centre in West Yorkshire.

KCS Development wants to build 82 properties on land off Roslyn Avenue, in Netherton, near Huddersfield.

Residents have raised concerns around the increase in cars and traffic as well as the impact to wildlife and loss of green space.

The plans are due to go before Kirklees Council's Strategic Planning Committee on Thursday.

In total the proposal has attracted comments from 96 members of the public.

One resident said the road network in the area was "inadequate" to deal with more cars and traffic, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

"The main road to town is hellishly busy at rush hour and the alternative is the rat run through South Crosland on a narrow road that is not fit for purpose and poses a danger to pedestrians, especially school children," they added in a letter submitted to the council about the plans.

Another resident shared concerns for the local wildlife, adding that the fields and grassland where the houses could be built were a "green lung for the community".

They said: "Many people get fine and vital exercise on them.

"There are many dog owners, a lot elderly who use the fields everyday. Their needs should be respected."

The developers want to build the new homes on grassland just off Roslyn Avenue

Under the proposals there would be a mixture of detached, semi-detached and terraced one to four-bedroomed homes, plus a block of six apartments.

Each would have off-road parking, a garden, and some would come with garages. 

This application is seeking "outline" planning permission, meaning another application will have to be determined at a later date.

Historically, the site belonged to the green belt but this changed when it was allocated in the Local Plan.

The plan highlights the sites constraints as potentially contaminated land, being in an area that affects the setting of Castle Hill and the proximity of Deanwood Local Wildlife site.

However, the developer said the plans would enhance the area, saying "the designs have been informed by knowledge of the locality, a character study of adjacent properties and with reference to the specific planning policies to ensure the overall development is of high quality and contributes significantly to improving the local area".