Major housing and industry plans for Lindley Moor have been approved by the narrowest of margins.

Councillors on Kirklees Council’s Strategic Planning Committee approved plans for 252 houses and two industrial units at Peat Pond Farm, off Lindley Moor Road.

But it divided the seven-strong committee - Clr Terry Lyons abstained after hearing the consultation expiry date was some 24 hours after the meeting.

Clrs Bill Armer, Tony Brice and Andrew Pinnock, voted for refusal and against approval while Clrs Steve Hall (chair), Mohan Sokhal and Graham Turner voted in favour of the plan, approved on the chair’s casting vote.

The site has long been controversial, it has previous planning permission for a data campus, said by residents to be a Trojan horse for wider development.

That development now includes housing, with developer Stirling Scotfield claiming it is unviable to build industry units without the housing due to site preparation costs.

But residents said the intent to create jobs on the site – once claimed to be around 2,000 – was “under sustained attack from developers with an agenda to maximise their profits by building houses instead”.

One criticised the developer, claiming they would make £29m from the change of use yet they ‘couldn’t afford 30% affordable housing’.

Affordable housing should be 30% for greenfield land, but the offer is currently just 15% which is 50 units instead of around 100.

Resident Peter Schofield asked Kirklees how it could make a decision the day before the council’s planning website said the consultation was due to end.

He was told that the recommendation was for approval subject to delegation to officers to secure conditions and planning obligations, and that would not take place before Friday, plus all statutory consultees had commented.

But Clr Lyons responded: “It is not the same as presenting it here, if it’s really significant it should be here. It has got to be seen to be right and in my eyes it’s not seen to be right.”

Evidence was presented by six residents and two local councillors with concerns about above average level of respiratory problems in the Lindley area, congestion and distance and difficulty in accessing amenities such as doctors, dentists and schools.

Clr Mark Hemingway said: “Sites like this should be available for job creation. We should not be turning our commercial planning sites with excellent transport links into housing.”

Clr Cahal Burke added: “There is pressure on the road network and a simple junction remodelling will do nothing to solve the problem.”

There are plans for traffic lights at the junction of Lindley Moor Road and Crosland Road.

Clr Tony Brice, a ward member on the planning committee, moved refusal saying he believed it is unsustainable and cited drainage, mining issues and the ‘abysmal road network’ as reasons to refuse it.

Clr Bill Armer said: “It is the wrong time to rip up the plan and it’s the best time to make sure we safeguard land for delivering jobs.”