An abortion clinic in Huddersfield town centre has been given the go-ahead despite hundreds of objections.

Councillors approved a plan to open a Marie Stopes clinic, on Cloth Hall Street, offering pregnancy advice and early stage ‘medical’ abortions.

Previously women wanting medical abortions (using an abortion pill) would need to travel to Leeds, Bradford or Wakefield.

Kirklees Council received 478 objections to the plan, many of which were made on ethical and religious grounds.

Some had lodged objections over concerns that protests by anti-abortion campaigners outside the clinic would be detrimental to local businesses.

But 10 out of 13 councillors on the Huddersfield planning committee backed the proposal while three members abstained.

Councillors had earlier been advised that moral and ethical reasons for objecting to Marie Stopes’ plan were not relevant when considering the planning application.

The committee heard from Barbara Madeja-Edmunds, who represented the anti-abortion group, Society for the Protection of the Unborn Child.

Ms Madeja-Edmunds was warned repeatedly by committee chairman Clr Paul Kane that ethical and religious objections would not be considered.

But Ms Madeja-Edmunds described abortion as a ‘legalised violation of human rights’ and claimed the students of the town’s colleges and university would be ‘the first to be targeted’ by the clinic.

Moving the motion for the clinic’s approval, Newsome ward Green councillor Andrew Cooper said he was ‘pleased’ to support the plan.

Women requiring a surgical abortion – necessary at later stages of pregnancy – will still need to travel to Leeds or Manchester.

Surgical abortions were previously carried out at Calderdale Royal Hospital, Halifax, but hospital bosses lost the contract when it went out to tender.

Greater Huddersfield Clinical Commissioning Group awarded the contract to national charity Marie Stopes which previously had no facilities in Kirklees or Calderdale.

As well as abortion, the charity offers sexual health advice and treatment as well as counselling.