Birks Farm, Arkenley Lane, Almondbury

APPLICATION NUMBER: 2017/62/92744/W
Location: Birks Farm, Arkenley Lane, Almondbury, Huddersfield, HD8 0LH.
Description of development: Erection of detached dwelling and demolition of existing building.

Our objection: This application should be refused as it constitutes inappropriate development in the Green Belt contrary to Kirklees UDP and the NPPF. No very special circumstances have been provided which could override the protected status of the site. This application does not satisfy any of the criteria required for a building to be permitted in the Green Belt: it is not for agricultural or forestry use; it is not an outdoor sports facility or a cemetery; nor is it a replacement of a current building for the same use. By no stretch of the imagination could this huge proposed house on a relatively isolated site be described as “infill” in a village setting, nor does it contribute to affordable housing in a rural community. If permitted, this application would set a very dangerous precedent for further unwarranted housing development in this most iconic of rural settings contiguous with a Conservation Area.

Planning Authority Decision: Refused.