‘Skyscraper’ care home plan for former Calderdale school site back before planning committee

Calderdale Council has received 137 letters of objection, and a community objection submitted on behalf of 23 residents, objecting to Torsion Care Ltd’s proposals for the former Hipperholme Grammar Junior School at Wakefield Road, Lightcliffe, to demolish and then build the care home.

Opponents of the plans have claimed the result would leave them with “a neighbouring skyscraper” on their doorstep.

The application was due to be heard by the council’s Planning Committee in mid-October but was withdrawn due to legal reasons concerned with land ownership matters, councillors who will consider the application have been told.

It will now come back before the committee when it meets at Halifax Town Hall next Tuesday, December 17 (meeting runs from 2pm).

Residents’ concerns include a number of highways and air quality concerns – the site, for which Torsion Homes has permission to build 14 homes, is around 200 metres from the busy Hipperholme crossroads.

But council officers feel the proposals meet local and national planning requirements and are recommending the committee approves the plans, which the applicants say will create 55 jobs, 40 of them full time.

The latest report to councillors says: “A care home is an appropriate use for a residential area and it is not considered that undue disturbance would be caused to existing residents.”

However residents – who say they do not have issues with the previously approved homes proposal – are unconvinced, and have the backing of some ward councillors and of Craig Whittaker, Calder Valley Conservative MP when the application was submitted, particularly over concerns about the amount of traffic and resultant pollution.

Ward councillor, Coun George Robinson (Con, Hipperholme and Lightcliffe) has raised concerns over congestion, air quality, the overbearing nature of the building and a range of technical issues.

“Hipperholme’s traffic junction is over capacity, and is also Calderdale’s most polluted area,” he said when the application was first submitted.

“Developing in Hipperholme’s immediate vicinity will not improve these matters. This 66-bed proposal would also overbear existing properties.

“Residents’ don’t want a neighbouring skyscraper,” he said.

Planning officers say that on balance although it is acknowledged the development would be a large building, there is sufficient separation between the main aspects of existing properties surrounding the site and the proposed care home.

They also say traffic levels would be acceptable compared to previous use of the site but residents disagree, arguing that as the home would have vehicles including emergency vehicles potentially needing to access the home at any time, in addition to staff and visitor vehicle movements, it could be heavy.

They also point out Hipperholme is already subject to Air Quality Management area status due to its poor air quality.

Mr Whittaker said: “I would like to make it clear that I am not against housing development, nor am I objectional to care homes.

“Rather, development of any housing needs to be in the right place and in the right proportion taking into consideration the existing infrastructure in the local area and the impact on the local community.”

He did not believe this was in the right place and had written to the committee with his strongest objections being highways and air pollution concerns.