Residents rage over 'Berlin Wall of Elland' at new social housing development
There is concerns the height of the 30-property development will 'dwarf' existing houses
Hello and welcome to The Calderdale Lead!
Well, the warm weather has arrived at last and what a joy it is to feel the sunshine on our faces!
In today’s edition, my LDR colleague John Greenwood has a special report about concerns from residents living close to a new housing development in Elland around the construction of a divider they’ve described as the ‘Berlin Wall of Elland’!
Plus, we’ve got a couple of nuggets in the Calderdale Digest…
Calderdale Digest
❓Some Brighouse businesses are invited to a question-and-answer session next week with contractors undertaking major town centre work as part of the town’s £19.1 million Town Deal projects.
The event has been organised by Brighouse BID (business improvement district) and is only open to businesses who pay the BID levy.
Brighouse BID is hosting the “BID Brew” event with Esh Construction, who are undertaking the works, which began in January, will take around 18 months to complete.
The event will be held between 5pm and 7pm on Wednesday, April 29, at Brighouse Central Methodist Church in Commercial Street.
The session is exclusively for businesses who pay the BID levy, says Brighouse BID.
Levy-paying businesses who would like to attend should reply indicating this by emailing BID project manager Helen Holdsworth – helen.holdsworth@brighousebid.co.uk – and they can also submit any questions they may have beforehand via email to brighousetd@calderdale.gov.uk and the Esh team will aim to cover all the answers at the session.
❎ It’s all up for grabs when Calderdale voters go to the polls on May 7 – a rare “all out” election for the borough.
And the wait to find out whether the winning colours are red, green, light or dark blue, yellow – or a combination of several – will not become clear until deep into May 8.
With 54 councillors to be elected, a party needs at least 28 seats for the narrowest overall majority, and that will be the initial target the parties contesting the election will be aiming to reach.
Calderdale Council had 51 councillors from the 17 wards going into the election – Labour held 27 seats, the Conservatives eight, Liberal Democrats six, Green Party three, Reform UK three, Workers Party of Britain one, Independent one, and two vacant seats due to the sad passing of long-serving Conservatives Geraldine Carter and David Kirton.
For most of the last year Labour has had a slim overall majority over the other parties of three, having controlled the council since 2019.
Calderdale Council has indicated the verification of votes in all 18 wards will take place in two sessions, nine wards in each, during the morning of May 8.
Then the actual counting of the verified votes will not start until early afternoon, again in two sessions.
But when the results from each of these two sessions come, it could be thick and fast – the first group of nine ward declarations are expected around approximately 5pm, with the second set of nine around 9pm.
Residents concerned over new housing development and ‘Berlin Wall’ divider
By John Greenwood
Residents have dubbed a divider being built to separate new housing from their homes “The Berlin Wall of Elland” amid concerns about the new development’s height.
Some householders at Whitwell Drive are worried about the impact a new 30-home social housing development at nearby Whitwell Green Lane, Elland, will have on their homes.
In response, Calderdale Council, Together Housing and Lovell say correct procedure has been followed, with Together talking to residents to understand their concerns and accommodate them where possible.
The new development, being constructed by Lovell on a slope residents described as steeply sloped, backs onto the residents’ houses.
They claim the ground level of the new homes is being raised significantly, effectively placing the new buildings at the first floor height of the existing properties.
And they say an approximately 3.5 metre (11 feet six inch) wall being put up to separate the sites is overwhelming and overbearing to the extent they have dubbed it “The Berlin Wall”.
One said: “We are looking at a towering impact that will dwarf our homes – by raising the ground level, these houses become the equivalent of three-storey townhouses looking directly into our private spaces.
“The council has a policy to prevent this, but they seem to be ignoring it to hit their housing targets.”
Specifically in this they cite Calderdale Local Plan Policy BT2, designed to protect “privacy, daylighting and amenity space.”
This policy states “developments must not have an ‘unreasonably overbearing’ impact or ’cause significant overshadowing’, they argue.
The residents say the planners’ decision to rule the scheme met standard criteria does not take into account the topography of the hillside.
They also say they have been angered by what they call a “perceived U-turn” regarding infrastructure – the residents claim original requirements for Lovell to widen Whitwell Green Lane and install new footways, appear to have been dropped, sparking extra traffic impact concerns.
They say they have had meetings with both council planners and with the contractor about their concerns but feel these have not been addressed.
But Shelagh O’Neill, Calderdale Council’s Director of Regeneration and Strategy, said correct procedure has been followed on the site, allocated for housing in Calderdale’s Local Plan.
“In line with the process for all planning applications, the council followed all the usual steps involved in making a decision, including consulting with local residents.
“All their comments were taken into account before making the planning decision.
“The location of the development in relation to existing properties complies with local planning policy and guidance.
“Council teams concluded that the development would not have a concerning impact on nearby roads, because of the minimal amount of extra traffic it would create,” she said.
Together Housing’s Director of Development, Tony Ward, said the affordable homes were much-needed.
“The two and three-bedroom homes, built on land that was previously empty scrubland, will provide 30 Calderdale families with a safe and comfortable place to live.
“Together Housing has been working with Lovell’s, the planning applicant, to seek to address local concerns that have been raised as works have started on site.
“However, we followed all the relevant planning procedures which also gave all residents the opportunity to voice their concerns and have them considered as part of the planning application process.
“While we recognise that any development will have an impact on all those in the immediate area, we always work to minimise inconvenience.
“We’re currently talking with local residents to further understand and, where possible, accommodate their concerns.
“We’re excited for the opportunities this development will provide for the people of Calderdale and look forward to working with the local community to ensure its completion as soon as possible,” he said.
A spokesperson for Lovell said the development was being delivered in accordance with a planning permission granted by Calderdale Council.
“The application was subject to the council’s statutory planning process, including consultation with residents and relevant technical consultees.
“Matters relating to site levels, boundary treatments, residential amenity, highways and compliance with local planning policy were all considered by the local planning authority before permission was issued.
“Lovell does not set planning policy, assess planning applications or make variations to approved schemes.
“Our role is limited to constructing the development strictly in line with the approved plans and planning conditions, which we are doing.
“While we understand that some residents remain unhappy with the planning decision, any questions regarding the council’s assessment, interpretation of policy or the terms of the planning consent are matters for Calderdale Council, as the decision‑making authority,” they said.
That’s all for this edition!
I’ll be back in your inboxes on Wednesday but don’t forget, if there’s something you’d like me to cover - or you have an event you want us to promote - then don’t hesitate to drop me a line at calderdale@thelead.uk.
Until then, have a great week!
Andrew