Woman whose grandparents built a house in Calderdale village refused planning permission at same site

Calderdale Council’s Planning Committee heard the application to build the detached house at The Breck on Saddleworth Road in Barkisland came from a family whose forbears had built some of the existing buildings in the village.

Speaking in support of the application, Helen Drake said The Breck itself had been built by her grandfather and designed by her grandmother. She said the family were long associated with, and residents of, the village.

Planning officers recommended the application, by Mr D Drake, should be refused.

They argued it would represent development on the green belt.

Although there were exceptions for infilling – the use of land within a built-up area for further construction – there were questions of whether the site was within the village of Barkisland and, if it was, whether the proposal constituted limited infilling.

Concerns included overlooking an adjacent home and impact it might have on the view from Grade II listed Christ Church in Barkisland.

Supporting the application, Coun Robert Thornber (Con, Ryburn) said while he understood part of the site lay within the green belt, this area of land had been “landlocked” between two homes permitted in the 1980s and 1990, and these had already damaged the green belt.

Set between The Breck and Holden House, with landscaping to solve overlooking issues, the site was surrounded by the village church, post office and cricket club, and the war memorial was right next to it.

“If this site isn’t in the village, I don’t know what is – I’d go as far as to say the site is the centre of the village,” he said.

Mrs Drake said the site was “bang in the middle” of the village but because of its positioning between the homes already there, would not be seen by the church, nor pose an issue over privacy, being next to the home in question’s garage.

Coun Howard Blagbrough (Con, Brighouse) said its style was in keeping with the village and given numbers of homes which might be built on green belt under the council’s recently adopted Local Plan, should be allowed.

But councillors voted to turn down the plans.