Opponents of a controversial housing estate planned for a former allotment site in Batley have called for a collective effort to stop the development.
Castleford-based Noble Homes wants to build 94 houses on an 8.5 acre (3.5 hectare) sloping parcel of land between Lady Ann Road and Primrose Hill at Soothill, Batley.
Of the 94 properties, 64 are designated as three-bed homes with the remainder being four-plus bed houses.
The scheme was first mooted in 2016 and drew fierce criticism from locals who described the area as an “oasis of wildlife” that provided habitat for bats, water voles and great crested newts.
Some of the species are protected by law.
One campaigner said at the time: “We have a special oasis of wildlife and protected species surviving on a plot of land that has previously been declared inappropriate for building.
“We have a duty of care and protection, I feel, not only to the wildlife but to existing residents and to any new homeowners.”
An ecology report found evidence of water voles on the site but that the impact upon them could be mitigated.
The latest application sees an increase in the number of dwellings on the site, up from 87. They will be brick-built to match other houses in the locality. The developer will also provide spaces for 188 cars.
Noble Homes describes the site as open grassland which was used as allotments until the 1970s.
A spokesman for the company said: “Our planning application has still not been granted, to the frustration of the now in the hundreds of potential purchasers on the waiting list, due to the continued various delays.
“We hope, once confirmed, to adapt and or retain, within our planning and building means, as much of the surrounding watercourse as possible within the development, for the residents’ and indeed nature itself, continued enjoyment.”
If plans are approved development is likely to get underway in 2019.
The closing date for comments on the application is August 17.
