MIRFIELD residents have been urged to have their say on plans for a 30-acre business development.
Clr Martyn Bolt said they should "look beyond the soundbites and hype" to find out the likely impact of the multi-million-pound plan.
Developers want to build offices, industrial units, a pub, a hotel and a car showroom on land at the junction of Slipper Lane and Leeds Road, as revealed in yesterday's Examiner.
Plans have been tabled with Kirklees Council.
Clr Bolt urged residents to look at the plans and make their opinions known.
Clr Bolt, a member of the council's Cabinet, said: "This proposal is the biggest development in Kirklees for a generation.
"It has implications far wider than the Mirfield and Roberttown areas."
He questioned assessments that the scheme would create 1,000 jobs , saying that many of the businesses likely to move there already operated in the area.
And he warned that a scheme expected to bring 1,000 employees would potentially mean 1,000 more cars on Leeds Road and other busy routes throughout the district.
Clr Bolt said the site would have a major visual impact because it was at the top of a hill and visible for many miles around.
He also said some of the uses proposed - a car showroom, hotel and pub - were unlikely to create many jobs.
Said Clr Bolt: "I would encourage residents and community groups to make themselves aware of these proposals, all the likely effects and to look beyond the soundbites and hype."
Developer Urban Evolution says the development will create about 1,000 jobs and bring much-needed economic benefits to North Kirklees.
A spokesman said the scheme would bring investment to the area's economy following the loss of traditional industries.
The company said the area had become a base for commuters dependent on other areas, such as Leeds and Manchester.
The development would help secure its long-term economic future.
