Altofts: Appeal hearing to be held over 164-home plan refusal near Wakefield village

A developer has appealed a decision to refuse planning permission for 164 homes to be built near a Wakefield village.

Wakefield Council planners rejected proposals to build the homes on farmland near Pope Street in Altofts last October.

At the time, officers said the 5.8 hectare site was “outside of a defined urban area” and had not been allocated for housing.

A Planning Inspectorate hearing has been scheduled after house builder Avant lodged an appeal, describing the council’s reason for refusal as “not justified.”

An appeal statement submitted on behalf of the company said: “The reason for refusal is not supported by the evidence.

“The appeal site lies immediately adjacent to the settlement boundary of Castleford as well as in close proximity to Normanton/Altofts, is sufficiently well-connected to services, public transport and one of the region’s largest employment areas.”

The document also said the proposed scheme was “visually and functionally integrated with the established settlement pattern.”

Over 100 objections were lodged against the plans after they were submitted in 2024, including those from district councillors, Normanton Town Council and community group Residents Against Increased Developments in Altofts.

The scheme includes a mix of one to four-bedroom homes along with 16 affordable properties.

The demolition of agricultural buildings at Bridgeland Grange Farm is also proposed.

A planning statement previously submitted by Avant said: “The scheme will provide a range of family houses in one of the most sustainable settlements in the district that will widen home ownership and help meet the needs of present and future generations in a well-designed and safe environment.”

Objectors said the development would add to traffic problems in the area as Pope Street was already used as a “rat run”

Other concerns were raised over the loss of more green space in the area and the lack of local infrastructure, including places at schools, doctors and dentists, to accommodate more housing.

An objection from Jo Hewpworth, Josie Pritchard and Jacquie Speight, former Labour councillors for Altofts and Whitwood ward, said: “The roads around Altofts are already struggling to deal with traffic volumes and especially since the building of City Fields, which is not even complete yet.

“Cars are often parked on both sides of Pope Street and more traffic exiting onto this road will create further safety hazards.”

Normanton Town Council said: “The proposed development poses risks to the quality of life for existing residents, including increased noise, pollution, and traffic hazards.

“The planning application fails to adequately address how these adverse impacts will be mitigated.”

An officer’s report said 1,774 homes had already been allocated at other sites in the Altofts and Normanton area.

It added: “It is therefore considered that the local need is met by existing housing allocations and the proposal would cause harm by compromising the spatial development strategy and reducing the sustainability of the spatial distribution of housing growth within this part of the district in particular.”

A previous application to build homes on the land was rejected in 2020, when the council said the scheme “would not maintain a clear definition of the village boundary.”

A two-day hearing to determine the appeal is due to begin on October 7.