Nearly 40 new jobs set to be created in Cleckheaton after councillors approve plans for industrial units in the town centre

The site lies on the edge of Cleckheaton town centre and is adjacent to Northgate. Home Bargains and a variety of other shops, businesses and properties surround the area. The site has two points of access from Northgate and Scott Lane.

Parts of the plot have held many uses over the years including a dairy, snooker hall and children’s nursery. The derelict buildings once belonging to these businesses have already been demolished and the land cleared.

Six units (A-F) are proposed for the north of the site and three for the south (G-I), creating a total of 39 full-time jobs.

Units G, H and I would be set back from the highway to minimise their visual impact and A, B and C will have stone fronts as they face onto Northgate. The design was said to be “functional” and to improve the overall appearance of the presently derelict area.

Previously, an almost identical application was put forward in 2020 but was refused due to the impact on nearby properties. This was appealed but again refused, though the original ground for refusal was dismissed.

This time, it was turned down for a different reason – because no section 106 was in place to provide funding for off-site habitat improvements.

Section 106 is an agreement entered into between the applicant and the council to mitigate any harm the development will cause on the community and environment. The current application sees a contribution of just over £30,000 made to offset the ecological damage.

Eight objections were received in response to the application concerned with increased levels of traffic, noise and air pollution and the impact on the nearby residential area.

Officers proposed conditions to alleviate concerns including the reduction of the operational hours, lessening noise and that the applicant submit details of external lighting.

Coun Andrew Pinnock believed that the site was better suited to another purpose. He said: “I would much rather have housing because it’s close to the town centre and therefore a housing development to my mind would be more satisfactory than what is proposed, which I won’t say to some extent compromises the town centre, whereas housing would enhance it.”

Coun Pinnock acknowledged that this wouldn’t be grounds to object to the application and asked that the Cleckheaton community be consulted in the construction plans for the site.

Coun Paul Davies supported the officers’ recommendation to pass the application subject to conditions and said: “I can fully understand why some local residents would be concerned about problems with noise and flow of traffic in particular, but reading through the details, it seems to me that those have been mitigated.

“I certainly think the design, particularly on the highway, is very good in terms of blending into the environment and the fact that they’re small units – for me, that’s something that we do need. We all know that there are big developments that go on and that’s fine for larger companies but we do need smaller units for start-ups in particular and to encourage entrepreneurship in our towns.”

Six out of seven panel members voted for the application, with Coun Pinnock voting against it.