The three major Kirklees planning applications to be decided this week

Three major planning applications set to change the shape of Kirklees will be determined by the council’s Strategic Planning Committee this week.

The applications will be decided by the committee on Thursday, July 31. Among them are plans for 21 homes on a plot of land in Birkenshaw which backs onto the local Liberal Club, and a further 21 could be on the way for a Grade-II Listed former church in Birstall.

Meanwhile in Lindley, an applicant hopes to remove a requirement to construct a footpath which formed part of a planning application approved more than a decade ago. The homes have long-since been built and are occupied.

Two of the applications have proved especially controversial, racking up a large number of objections from the local community. Below is a summary of each of the plans set to come to a conclusion next week.

Land off Croft Street, Birkenshaw

A plot of land off Croft Street, Birkenshaw, has been earmarked for 21 homes and backs onto Birkenshaw Liberal Club. The site is described as a “heavily-vegetated” vacant plot, previously housing a bowling green and allotments.

According to supporting documents, Croft Street was stopped up and closed more than 30 years ago, but is still used for vehicular access to the club and pedestrian access.

The new two-storey properties would be a range of two, three and four bedrooms and be accessible from Old Lane via Croft Street. The plans also feature a new car park and beer garden for the liberal club.

In total, 41 comments have been received in response to the application from members of the public, with 29 of these in objection, seven general comments and five supporting comments.

One resident wrote: “The village is already being overdeveloped and becoming crowded; it does not have the infrastructure or facilities to sustain this level of development. The space should be left as a green space and be used to benefit the community as a whole.

Another said: “I think this development is a great addition to the area, the contractor is a supporter and contributor to the local area. It will provide better footpaths, car parking and lighting and make the area safer.

“The developer has listened to the needs of the community and taken this onboard within the scheme. The area has always been an unused and uncared for dumping ground. At least with the new development it will be a nicely maintained area.”

Kirklees Council officers have recommended that the plans be approved subject to several conditions including that three of the homes are affordable, there is a £57k contribution to off-site public open space and that £10k goes to funding waiting restrictions at the site access onto Old Lane.

Wesley House, Birstall

Plans to bring 21 apartments to Wesley House have been recommended for approval by council officers – unless it is home to bats. The property – formerly the Church of St John – sits off Huddersfield Road and Chapel Lane in the centre of Birstall. The plans have been recommended for approval by council officers subject to the outcome of a bat survey. If bats are found, officers say this would be a “strong” reason for refusal.

Wesley House is a Grade-II Listed and located within a conservation area. The applicant – Medipharm Bradford Ltd – says that while the property has been marketed for sale for several years, there has been “little or no interest”. It is now subsequently earmarked for housing.

Planning permission was previously granted to convert the building into 21 units but this has since expired.

In relation to the latest application, just five comments have been made – three in objection, one in support and one general comment. One local said: “Huddersfield Road is extremely congested as it is, with the local schools even more traffic and cars will be damaging to the area, let alone parking. It is a struggle as it is, let alone for 21 residents.”

Another wrote: “This former Chapel is an important part of Birstall’s history with its connections to John Nelson so it definitely needs preserving. If these apartments are for rent or purchase they will hopefully attract people into the area who may work in surrounding towns and for those commuting via motorway networks.”

Land off Cowrakes Road, Lindley

Plans for 42 homes on a plot of land off Cowrakes Road were given the go-ahead back in 2011, with the properties built and occupied for the past decade. However, the footpath linking two streets within the development – Dryden Way and Wadsworth Fold – which was part of the original application, has not been constructed.

The applicant wants to remove the footpath from the plans altogether and landscape the area instead. They say that the footpath would not be “inclusively accessible” due to the

gradient, and would put the neighbouring properties at risk of increased crime due to the lack of natural surveillance and lighting.

However, the community is largely unsupportive of this plan, as are all three Lindley Lib Dem ward councillors, with a total of 43 objections received in response to it.

One objector wrote: “Expecting residents to bear the cost of maintaining an area that serves them no practical purpose is entirely unreasonable. This appears to be a deliberate attempt to evade responsibilities laid out in the original agreement. Such actions clearly do not serve the best interests of the residents or the wider community.”

Another said: “I have been a resident here for nearly 10 years and share the concerns of many residents about the state of so-called “wild” green areas which have been poorly maintained.

“I object to Harron homes not fulfilling the obligations they agreed to in completing the the stepped access between Dryden Way and Wadsworth Fold and their request to instead change this to another “wild” area which will cover no benefit to local residents and which I fear will be poorly maintained in a similar way to other “wild” green areas on the estate.”

Council officers are ultimately in support of the plans and have recommended they are approved by the committee.