Road fears addressed at Denholme meetings (From Keighley News)

Road fears addressed at Denholme meetings

6:00pm Saturday 9th March 2013 in News By Chris Young

Villagers will have their say next week on plans for up to 37 new houses earmarked for a field in Denholme.

CBRE property agency and Architecture 1B will showcase their plans at a public exhibition on Tuesday and Wednes-day, at which they invite residents to comment and raise any concerns.

The site, off New Road and Long Causeway, is on a dangerous bend, but the planning agency behind the design says the development would include improvements to the road system that would benefit the whole village.

The group acknowledges the existing problems on the road, and says it has three possible highway changes that could make the route safer.

Jay Everett, from CBRE, said: “We anticipate the main concern of residents will be the impact of the proposals on the local highway network.

“After consulting with the town council last week, we have prepared three alternative options to seek to improve the current highway arrangements around the New Road bends and the junction of New Road and Long Causeway. These will be available for inspection at the drop-in sessions.

“We know the speeds on the road are quite fast and know it is a problem. The works around the site could slow things down and improve things for the whole village. We will use feedback from residents to decide the best way forward.”

Plans are being submitted by the landowner, who has yet to be named, and if permission is granted, the field will be sold to a housing developer.

Bradford Council has allocated the site as ‘potentially suitable’ for housing, as its Local Development Framework requires 450 new homes in Denholme in the next 20 years.

Mr Everett added: “The proposal is for 37 family units with gardens, with a mixture of unit types and sizes – indicatively shown as 11 two-bed, 15 three-bed and 11 four-bed.

“The scheme will deliver 25 per cent of the units as affordable housing, as required by council policy. The design will be high quality, with local finishes to match the character of the village and enhance the appearance of the site and area.”

The plans have already met with scepticism, with local councillor Simon Cooke questioning why a new housing site was needed when a nearby former mill site – also earmarked for housing – remained undeveloped.

The exhibitions run from noon to 7.30pm in the Mechanics’ Institute.