Controversial Calderdale mill conversion plan back before committee with extra advice

Calderdale Council’s Planning Committee deferred the application by Kirklees Estates to convert part of Linden Mill, Linden Road, Hebden Bridge, into the apartments when they considered it in August.

The committee will now consider the application again when it meets on Tuesday, September 28 (2pm).

Councillors wanted to know if there was a way they could ensure the development was effectively made car-free.

Planning Committee members were recommended by planning officers to be mindful to permit the plans subject to some legal agreements.

The recommendation is the same this time around.

Councillors’ major concerns – shared by many of the objectors to the plans – relate to traffic and parking.

They heard the mill being described as being in a densely populated area, with narrow access and limited parking.

In terms of whether whether it was possible to secure a car free development by way of a S106 legal agreement obligation prohibiting applications for parking permits by residents of the proposed apartments, officers now say: “Having considered this further the legal officer has advised that they stand by their advice given at Planning Committee that insisting on a development control mechanism precluding residents of the proposed dwellings from applying for parking permits could put the decision at risk.

“There is case law that such a requirement would fall outside the parameters of S106 and such an obligation to overcome a refusal would thus make the decision susceptible to challenge if it was a factor in the determination.”

Coun Colin Hutchinson (Lab, Skircoat) had said Bristol City Council were imposing such planning conditions.

However, officers say they have now looked into this issue and say what Bristol do is put an informative on the permission which effectively tells people there is no entitlement to a permit, and this can be done in this case.

Officers say: “Town centre parking is highly restricted with little prospect of additional residential parking being introduced within a controlled zone.

“Where there are existing resident permit schemes in force, there is no automatic entitlement into the scheme.

“The council has no responsibility to provide residential parking, and this is for a developer to consider at the development stage.”

There were also concerns about ownership of a piece of land to be used as a bin storage area, and updated information about this is also included in the report papers for the meeting.

The applicants argue development would provided much-needed homes in Hebden Bridge and to continue in industrial use, businesses would need to be paying commercial rents to cover cost of necessary repairs – those currently at the mill were not.

The conversion plans also provided a financial solution to the repair issue, they say.

* Support your Halifax Courier by becoming a digital subscriber. You will see 70 per cent fewer ads on stories, meaning faster load times and an overall enhanced user experience. Click here to subscribe