Multi million pound road bid to unlock Clifton job site

Green sites under threat by development in the Brighouse area. Land near the Holiday Inn, Clifton.

Calderdale Council has made the case for a road across the employment site to relieve congestion at the A643/A644 roundabout while providing improved access to the employment land on either side of the proposed road and increased capacity for a garden suburb in the surrounding district

The Calderdale bid has been prioritised by West Yorkshire Combined Authority and a decision is expected from the Department of Transport in the autumn of 2017, with significant public consultation taking place before delivery.

Councillor Barry Collins, Calderdale Council’s cabinet member for regeneration and economic development, said: “The council continues to work closely with the West Yorkshire Combined Authority to deliver an enterprise zone at Clifton and create a business park to bring hundreds of new jobs to Calderdale.

“We are currently seeking external finance for new infrastructure across the employment site to boost accessibility. Should our funding proposals be accepted, detailed plans would then be developed, for consultation with local residents and other interested parties.”

The council is working with the WYCA and Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership to transform the empty site at Clifton into a regionally significant business park to house Calderdale’s growing firms, while also attracting new businesses from outside the region.

The aim of the zones is to bring forward employment space and encourage businesses to expand or relocate in Calderdale, with support for occupiers that can include a period of free business rates or allowances for capital investment.

Covering 23 hectares, the Clifton site is one of the largest of the nine new sites included in the Leeds City Region Zones.