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| Pitty Close Farm in Drighlington also know as Spring Gardens |
Campaigners in Drighlington
have pledged to battle on after Leeds City Councils Plans Panel agreed a housing
application for 200 houses on Pitty Close Farm in Drighlington. The decision to
grant planning permission follows a long campaign of opposition with Drighlington Parish Council, Morley North City Councillors and local MP Andrea Jenkyns all backing residents who opposed the plan.
Cllr Robert Finnigan said “There
was wide scale opposition to these plans from residents and all elected representatives
who cover the Drighlington area. Figures from Education Chiefs confirmed that
Drighlington Primary School had no room to accommodate the additional 60
children that will come from this site in the primary sector and also confirmed
no spare capacity at Birchfield and Gildersome Primary’s to take these additional
students. The Planners report also confirmed the site breached Council Highways
guidance on access roads and the Councils own accessibility standards for
secondary schools. However Labour Plans Panel members voted it through despite opposition
from Independent, Lib Dem and Conservative Councillors.”
The site, off King Street in
Drighlington, was allocated as a phase 3 site in the Local Development Plan which
should have left it undeveloped until after 2028 but Leeds City Council failed
to prove it had a 5 year land supply after Labour Councillors backed a 74,000
new homes housing target.
Cllr Finnigan said “Leeds
City Council is now having to review its unrealistic housing target to reduce
the number to prevent Developers ripping up Greenfield sites across Leeds.
Despite this review Leeds City Council continues to back Developers instead of
communities opposing unsustainable development.”
Cllr Finnigan has contacted local
MP Andrea Jenkyns to request that the application is called in by the Secretary
of State for planning because the
application breaches guidance in Central Governments National Planning Policy
Framework.
Cllr Andy Hutchison from
Drighlington Parish Council said “I can unreservedly confirm that the support for the application to be
‘called in’ is supported by Drighlington Parish Council.”
Leeds City Councils
Plan Panel has already agreed to housing development on Low Moor Farm, Owlers
Farm, Bruntcliffe Road, Scott Lane, Laneside Farm and Churwell New Village with
around 1600 new housing units granted planning permission. No additional school
places at primary or secondary schools across Morley have been agreed nor any highways improvements to deal with additional traffic.
