HCS concern over council’s lack of consultation on major road improvement scheme

Huddersfield Civic Society member Geoff Hughes has submitted this letter of concern to Kirklees planning over revised plans for the A629 Halifax Road scheme in Huddersfield.

I write on behalf of Huddersfield Civic Society to object to the lack of publicity and short timescale for this new ‘consultation’ on a proposed major set of changes along the route of the A629 which shows ‘end consultation’ date of 4 August 2023.
 
The Society subscribes to the weekly Kirklees Council planning newsletter and also made a substantive comment to the original (2021) consultation, yet has only found out – by accident – today that major changes have been proposed with c30 new documents entered since June 2023 against this application and c100 now showing as ‘superceded’.
 
We note that one controversial part of the original scheme – at the A629/Blacker Road junction – looks to have been removed, thus representing a substantive change to the scope of the original consultation. 
 
We also note that what should be the linked ‘Active Travel’ scheme (A629 Phase 4) looks to be still ‘paused’ with no decision yet reached on any of its various proposals.
 
Whether or not Huddersfield Civic Society chooses to object to this revised A629 Phase 5 scheme, the Society urgently asks for:

1) A substantial extension to the consultation end date

2) Proper announcement publicity to ensure notification of the revised proposals to all affected parties, including local residents and the c300 who commented on the previous version of the scheme.
 
Thank you,
​
Geoff Hughes (on behalf of Huddersfield Civic Society)