Promises of adequate school places have been broken for parents moving to a controversial new housing estate, it has been claimed.
Plans to build hundreds more homes at Lindley Moor were approved a year ago despite fears of pressure on local schools, roads and health centres.
More than 250 homes will be built off Crosland Road by Harron Homes and Taylor Wimpey.
Work on Harron’s 119 home share of the plot – dubbed Farriers Croft – is well underway.
Now with families beginning to move in, Kirklees Council has admitted the two nearest primary schools – Moorlands at Mount and Lindley Infants and Junior – are totally full and unlikely to be able to accommodate youngsters moving from elsewhere.
The news will be a huge shock to house buyers who were promised school places was not an issue.
READ MORE: Developer Taylor Wimpey explains why Lindley is the ideal spot for new homes
A promotional website about the new build estates, www.lindleymoordevelopment.co.uk , says: “...the education department of Kirklees Council have confirmed that the number of school places available are adequate and the financial contributions received from this development will be used to create more school places locally.”
One angry parent told the Examiner they were moving from Lancashire to the estate in the summer and had been told there was no space at either school for their six-year-old.
It is thought a third school nearby, Royds Hall Community School at Paddock, is also oversubscribed, meaning parents would likely be offered Birkby Junior School, more than two miles away.
Neither Harron Homes nor Taylor Wimpey wanted to comment on the matter as they said the website was not theirs.
The information using their logos was published by a third company, Scotfield Group.
The Leeds based developer declined to comment on why it had published the school places claim.
A Kirklees Council spokesperson said: “The schools in question are popular and oversubscribed, and are usually full in all year groups.
READ MORE: Lindley residents slam house builder over catalogue of problems with their new-build homes
“There are sufficient places to admit for Reception age children as they apply to school for the first time, and any remaining available places in Reception can be filled by children who live outside the local area.
“This means that there is not necessarily room to admit children who seek to obtain a school place outside the normal transition times.
“We will always work with families to explain where the nearest schools are that have available places that could accommodate their children. “We are committed to working with individual families so that they can consider all options that are available and secure places.”
The news that schools are full also raises questions about the cash provided by housing firms towards Huddersfield’s infrastructure.
The Taylor Wimpey and Harron estate comes on the back of other developments on the moor, including 300 properties by Miller Homes off Weatherhill Road and a further 30 by Persimmon, also on Crosland Road.
More pressure will be added when a further 200 homes are built at nearby Grimescar Valley.
READ MORE: Work well under way on new multi-million pound primary school at Paddock
READ MORE: Builders back on Lindley Moor housing development site where work was stopped after complaints
The council said it had received some of the money owed from the various developers but still had more than £1m to recoup.
“Contributions totalling £1,719,162 to be used for the improvement and provision of education facilities are expected to be recovered from the ongoing developments in the Lindley area,” said a Kirklees spokesperson.
“A total of £350,170.80 has been received by the council and the remaining sums will be recovered at relevant stages as the properties become occupied. The council continue to monitor the situation.
“The council strategically assesses the need for places on an annual basis, and is investing across the Huddersfield area to ensure there are sufficient places for local families.”
