Residents have won a battle over a controversial Mirfield housing scheme – but look set to lose the war.
Campaigners forced councillors to recall plans for 34 new homes off Kitson Hill Road after they claimed it was “flawed.”
Original drawings described an 82-year-old woman’s bungalow as a “garage with no windows” and residents claimed the plans breached Kirklees Council policy about space between buildings.
The plans were approved but – after the story was highlighted in the Examiner – the application was reviewed, amended and sent back to the Heavy Woollen planning committee.
But the plans, from developer Ben Bailey Homes, will go to the committee again tomorrow – with another recommendation for approval.
Peter Morgan, spokesman for the Lady Heton Action Group which is leading the fight, insists the new plans still don’t allow enough space between existing homes and the new ones.
The policy BE12 states that there should be 21 metres (68ft) between habitable room windows or 12 metres (39ft) between a habitable window and a blank wall or the window of a non-habitable room.
Mr Morgan said: “We won a couple of victories and the plans are going back to the committee but while there have been some changes there is still an intrusion on privacy.”
Campaigners have written to Communities Secretary Eric Pickles and want a public inquiry.
“As far as we are concerned these plans are still flawed and we find it disturbing that a planning application that is still flawed can be listed for a decision,” said Mr Morgan.
A report to the committee recommends approval and says: “The general principle of residential development is considered to be acceptable.
“It is considered that the development proposed respects the scale and context of its surroundings with a mix of detached, semi-detached and townhouses being two and three-storey in height with the three-storey properties being contained within the development and properties that abound the site being two-storey.
“The development proposed has been considered fully against the space about buildings requirements of policy BE12.”
The report says that where distances fall short of the minimum requirements of BE12 “this in itself would not be sufficient grounds to refuse planning permission when balanced against other material considerations.”
Mr Morgan said if policy BE12 could be disregarded in such a way it had “massive implications” for the whole of Kirklees.
“It is almost as if Kirklees is setting aside planning policy in the rush to build new homes,” he said.
The planning committee meets at Cleckheaton Town Hall at 1pm.
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