Calderdale business park ‘continues apace’ despite ward councillor’s doubts

Cabinet member for Regeneration and Strategy, Coun Jane Scullion (Lab, Luddenden Foot) had reported to the full Calderdale Council that the full business case for the Clifton scheme had been submitted to the West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) project appraisal team for consideration this month.

She said it will now progress through project assurance for a decision in the near future while Calderdale Council is set to determine a planning application in early spring.

However, Coun Howard Blagbrough (Con, Brighouse) said he had serious doubts about whether the project should go ahead in the light of new information about funding and because the land – a 63-acre site on land off Coal Pit Lane – had not been bought.

He said normally progressing to full business case meant funding would follow to allow delivery of the project.

But the January meeting of WYCA’s Place Panel reported it had been confirmed that WYCA would not now be funding the scheme and equally it did not qualify for the Government’s Getting Building Fund scheme either, he said.

Coun Blagbrough said he had raised concerns about the scheme’s viability last March.

“In view of the new news, should we as a council continue to speculate on developing this site, especially as we still haven’t purchased the land?

“And where is the money coming from?” said Coun Blagbrough.

He also asked that, as a lot of new documents had been uploaded to the planning portal, and the consultation period having ended, it should be extended.

Coun Scullion said there was a dizzying array of different schemes from the Government for developing projects and the council already had other sources of funding, for example for transport related activities, some of which had already been drawn down.

She said the council was confident of securing the land which was so important in terms of the council’s regeneration plans, in terms of employment land.

“We have not completed the funding package yet but we are working hard on that,” she said. “We are continuing apace.”

In Calderdale there were issues about where else projects like this could be developed because of flooding concerns in the valley bottoms and land further up raising steepness and green belt issues, said Coun Scullion.

She would inquire about the late documents on the planning portal issue.

Outline plans were approved for site last autumn, with the detailed proposals the subject of the full application.