The pressure group battling to stop Yorkshire Water’s plans to modernise the historic spillway at Butterley Reservoir in Marsden will carry on its battle at the planning inquiry.

The inquiry at the Media Centre in Huddersfield town centre is due to end tomorrow and Save Butterley Spillway Group (SBS) will continue even though Kirklees Council dramatically dropped its objections on Friday.

YW wants to replace the ornate water management feature built between 1891 and 1906 with tonnes of concrete, saying it needs to carry out work to the spillway in order to comply with legal requirements.

Butterley Reservoir Spillway
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A statement from SBS over the weekend states: “We are very disappointed the council has taken the decision that it can no longer sustain its position at the inquiry but the group are by no means resigned to defeat. Our case is subtly different from that of the council’s and we believe that it is not directly undermined by the council’s actions.

“The inquiry is ongoing and we will continue with a closing statement on Tuesday that will clarify to the inspector these differences and assert why the Appeal should still be dismissed. Following this, it is anticipated that the inquiry inspector will independently judge all the evidence submitted and heard over the last four days in making a decision, which could be expected within the next few months.”