IT'S back to the drawing board for the redevelopment of Garden Street car park, Hebden Bridge, Calderdale Council leaders have said this week.
The scheme to build "wonky homes" faced serious public opposition and were rejected by planners at an appeal.
"It is obvious people in Hebden Bridge don't want what was being proposed so we need to start again with a clean sheet of paper," said Ca
lderdale Council leader Stephen Baines.
The council's regeneration spokeswoman Amanda Byrne said the council was under no obligation to deal any further with Hebden Royd Development LLP which was chosen to building homes and multi-storey car park on the site. "There is no legal reason to continue with the scheme," said Coun Byrne.
But Philip Bintliff, for architects Studio BAAD, has urged everyone involved to carefully read the planning inspector's decision.
"An experienced architect and planner, he supported it in every respect save for two.
"We welcome the support he gave our architecture, alongside that which we previously received from council planners, English Heritage, CABE and members of the community."
He said the inspector could not grant the appeal with conditions, so he had to dismiss it.
"But the minor points he referred to provide a clear direction and we welcome them – the height can be modified very simply," said Mr Bintliff.
The inspector, Roger Brown, said two of the six blocks of apartments, rising up to seven stories high, would be visually dominant and harmful to the character and ambience of the area.
It was planned to build 24 houses, 24 flats, 16 new business premises and an underground car park at a total cost of £10 million.
Liberal Democrat group leader and local councillor Janet Battye said she would ask the council to end the development agreement.
She added : "It must now stop. Then there should be open consultation about what should happen next. One option must be that nothing happens but we don't want continuing uncertainty as happens all too often in these situations," she said.
Anthony Rae for the Garden Street Action Group said: "In view of the developers' signals that they intended to continue, we had already written to the council asking them to withdraw the development opportunity they had originally promoted on their own site.
"We welcome the council's confirmation that they can legally do that, and that should be the end of the matter."
