Huddersfield residents are fearing for their privacy, safety and local wildlife after work started to clear a housing development site despite planning permission expiring.
Back in 2021, plans were approved to build a block of 10, one-bed apartments on a plot of land to the rear of 315a Old Wakefield Road, Moldgreen, despite several strong objections from locals. With work failing to begin within three years of planning permission being granted, this has expired. The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) understands that the land has since been sold and now belongs to a new owner although it is not clear who this is.
However, residents told the LDRS that on 12 June, contractors began work on the site, clearing the lawn, and two days later advised they would be tearing down fences, cutting down trees and preparing to build eight flats.
As the council has confirmed, there is no planning permission in place for the site. The local authority says there has not been any breach of planning control at this moment in time, though residents fear this will be imminent after being informed of the workers’ intentions.
This has left those living in the vicinity hugely concerned, not least due to the nesting birds in the willow trees on the site. When permission was granted for the 2021 plans, locals say the council denied the existence of the site’s mature trees but now, the police’s wildlife unit have reportedly attended since the clearing began, photographing nesting birds using thermal cameras.
On top of the loss of habitat that would result from the felling of trees, a loss of amenity, privacy, shading, enjoyment and potentially house value, as well as increased noise levels, are among the other concerns of residents. One said they feared the implications of development could result in “tremendous suffering” for people in the area.
They added: “Residents are not happy. We, as concerned residents, want to know exactly what action the council are doing with regards to the land, the lack of correspondence issued, the lack of concern over the issues raised at the time of planning, and unlawful permissions granted for planning.”
Flooding is also a concern for locals, due to a culvert running diagonally underneath the site, as is access for emergency vehicles. In addition, some fear that the developer will ultimately go ahead and build on the site and apply for planning permission retrospectively, bypassing any public consultation.
Cllr Graham Turner, Cabinet Member for Finance and Regeneration, said: “Our Planning Team has been informed of some initial works carried out by contractors who came onto the site to fell trees. We understand that this was stopped by an attending Police Wildlife Crime Officer, who is the appropriate authority for the protection of nesting birds.
“We can confirm that there is no current planning permission for the site. However, until any development works are carried out there has been no breach of planning control.”
