Planners refuse nine-home proposal for Greetland village site

A Calderdale village site is in the Green Belt and is not suitable for building nine homes, say planning officers.

They refused planning permission-in-principle to Mr Paul Wood, who wanted to develop the homes at land north of Orchard House at Moor Bottom Lane, Greetland.

Permission in principle was sought for the construction of up to nine homes there.

But planning officers said the proposal represented inefficient use of land and in any event very special circumstances which would be required under planning rules to show benefits – a modest contribution to housing supply in the borough – would outweigh harms had not been demonstrated by the application.

JS Planning Consultants, for the applicant, had argued the land was “grey belt.”

Grey belt land is Green Belt land which is often previously developed or otherwise low-performing land that does not strongly help prevent urban sprawl.

There was a “a demonstrable unmet need for the proposed development,” they argued, citing Calderdale’s lack of a five-year supply of land to build new homes on.

The site was “well contained”, being effectively “sandwiched” between neighbouring development to the north and south, and to the east by Moor Bottom Lane, they said.

The consultants noted planning permission has recently been granted for a stable block on the land.

“This permission demonstrates that the site is in a location that can accommodate development without resulting in harm to Green Belt purposes and landscape character,” they argued.

“Residential development would deliver a far more efficient use of the scarce land resource,” they said, and noted the site lies “immediately adjacent to existing residential development that itself forms part of the built-up settlement of Greetland.

“The development would provide a very comfortable small extension to the settlement,” argued the consultants.

Three objections were received by the council on the application, citing concerns about highway safety, the capacity of local infrastructure to cope with new homes, drainage issues, and the impact on the rural character of Moor Bottom Lane.

One said their principle concern was safety issues associated with the proposed access to the site, with Moor Bottom lane joining Rochdale Road almost directly opposite the junction with Brian Royd Lane.

“This creates a particularly hazardous section of highway,” they said.

However, highways officers felt a safe access could be achieved at the site.