The fight to save Butterley Reservoir from proposed changes may have got a bit harder.
Kirklees planning officers have recommended that Yorkshire Water’s £6m project for the Marsden beauty spot be approved.
Kirklees councillors will make a decision when the Huddersfield Planning Sub-Committee meets next Thursday.
The Save Butterley Spillway campaign group stated on social media websites Twitter and Facebook: “We’re stepping up our fight – it’s not over yet.”
Council papers for the committee meeting show that planning officers believe the works are compliant with planning policy.
Yorkshire Water want consent to demolish the lower half of the spillway, which includes the stepped cascades, a prominent feature of the Grade II-listed spillway, to comply with the Reservoirs Act.
But 185 people have written to Kirklees Council opposing the changes, and Colne Valley Conservative MP Jason McCartney has also objected.
So too has the Council for British Archaeology and the Victorian Society.
The planning report says: “The proposal is to partially demolish Butterley Spillway, a Grade 2 listed structure, attached to Butterley Reservoir.
“For the existing spillway to meet the safety standards required... significant modifications are required which includes the loss of the stepped cascades, changing the height of the stone retaining walls, increasing the land modelling to the side of the spillway and changing the materials.”
Seven options were considered, including one to construct a new spillway and another to modify the existing spillway.
Objectors are dismayed at the plans and say it will lead to the loss of a heritage asset, that it would significantly harm a popular tourist destination and that Yorkshire Water hasn’t fully explored all options available.
The Save Butterley Spillway Group added that when Yorkshire Water vowed to retain original stone the principle of the plan had not changed.
The Kirklees Public Rights of Way Officer raised concerns over how the Pennine Bridleway and Public Footpath network will be impacted by the construction. Kirklees Highways say the construction will lead to 15 trips per day but say the existing network can cope with that.
In conclusion, planning officers say: “On balance it is felt that the public benefit of the works overcomes the harm caused and as such consent should be granted.”
A Yorkshire Water spokeswoman said: “We are pleased that planning officers from Kirklees Council have recommended approval of our applications...
“In particular, we are pleased that the report compiled by officers highlights the public benefit of the project and confirms the views submitted by English Heritage that they have no objection to the application and accept the need for a practical way forward on this matter.”
