A planning dispute has engulfed a neighbourhood in a Colne Valley community.
Several Slaithwaite residents living in Hill Top and a planning surveyor have demanded a stop to a housing development, after alleging that the building of one house is ‘un-authorised’.
Their complaint relates to the current building of a new detached house in cul-de-sac Meadow Lane, which they believe is too close to an adjoining older home and could cause a threat of flooding around the site.
Kirklees Council is now looking into the complaint and said that they have advised development company, Bowden Construction, to submit a retrospective planning application.
But its developer, Bowden’s Construction, said that it has done nothing wrong and that Kirklees Council had given the all clear for the development of the 61 houses to go ahead in 2005, despite its failure to meet several compliance conditions given in 2012.
The row began in July when residents living in Campinot Vale contacted the council about the house, one of four that started to be built earlier in the year and which they think is being built two and a half metres further to the right and only 13.5 metres away from resident, Jayne Broadhead’s home.
Under the new unitary development plan brought in by Kirklees Council in 2007, the normal minimum distance between facing homes has been set at 21 metres.
Jayne, said: “The building is already beginning to block out light in our back garden and kitchen and when it’s fully built it will tower above our home and the tenants will be able to easily look into my two children’s bedrooms. It’s not fair and we just want the council to step in and do something.”
Another neighbour, Richard Grayson, who lives in Hawthorn Road, was similarly unimpressed.
He said: “We’re not opposed to new developments but I think this home and the other three being built along with it are in the wrong place. I think it could pose potential drainage problems in the winter-I just don’t think it’s been planned properly at all.”
They contacted planning surveyor Richard Halstead to look into the situation.
His assistant, Jim Westhead, said: “The plan that was submitted and approved by the council and what is being building are different things.
“This house flouts UDP regulations, something which may have been mitigated by the council as the building was not proposed to be built directly behind the house but it has been built in a different spot, which brings it much closer to Jayne’s home. it’s in all parties’ interests that this building work is stopped we have written to the council asking them to take enforcement action.”
A Kirklees Council spokesman confirmed that officers have undertaken investigations at the site to try resolve the issues.
He said: “Officers found a number of planning conditions requiring further details to be agreed with the council that remain outstanding and are now working with the developers to ensure these matters can be resolved.
“The developers have been advised to submit these details in a planning application to the council.”
Spokesman for Bowden Construction, Chris Fletcher, remained defiant about the development and said: “The homes are being built in the same locations they gained approval for.
“We had to position one house more to the right to avoid high voltage cables and aim to complete them by later this year.”
