Calderdale Council: Controversial bid for 176 new homes in Calderdale village called back to planning committee

A legal agreement over the plans for the former Southwedge Quarry site off Brighouse Road has not yet been signed, planning councillors heard.

Strata Homes’ proposals, which were approved subject to conditions and the agreement in November 2021, were brought back to the committee as a result.

Councillors were told the principle of development had already been approved so they could not debate the merits of the application again.

But they were asked to reaffirm their position, which a majority of councillors agreed to do after a debate.

The permission was not issued before the council received – on January 26 this year – a final latter from Katie Child about the council’s draft Local Plan, with councillors set to decide on whether or not to adopt it next week.

The planning permission cannot be actually issued until the section 106 legal agreement is signed.

As the Inspector’s views on the Local Plan represented a “meaningful change” in the planning landscape, the Southedge application needed to be reconsidered, said officers.

Councillors were also asked to amend a condition requiring a remediation strategy for the site to be submitted approved by the council.

Coun David Kirton (Con, Hipperholme and Lightcliffe) opposed the plans before and his view had not changed.

“I think this whole scheme is completely ridiculous, as I said last time,” he said.

“We have a quarry here that took years to fill up, being a nuisance to local residents.

“Now we’ve got a quarry that we’re digging out with horrible materials down there - including asbestos that we know about - and I’m not totally sure that it can be effectively controlled.

“Then we’re filling it back up with a load of inert material before we can start building,

“What a huge, ridiculous scheme this is.”

Officers said the council would be responsible for the monitoring of issues including air quality and dealing with asbestos. The council would also have to ensure the land was no longer contaminated before homes are built.

Back in November 2021, planning councillors were told by a senior planning officer the authority’s chances of winning an appeal to the Planning Inspectorate against a refusal were “virtually inconceivable.”