From Kez Armitage

Saturday, 11 July 2015

Once again, an application has been submitted to develop the hilltop field outside Heptonstall into a caravan park.

Despite at least five refusals from the Council, and an appeal which was dismissed by the Planning Inspector, the developers are back with a watered down, but still significant, application.

They are using all the tricks in the book to promote their cause. Firstly, the application has been submitted, just as previous ones have, at the start of the summer holidays where people are either away or about to embark on their holidays. Secondly, and this is a developer's favourite ploy, they just keep on submitting applications in the hope that people will simply lose interest and give up.

There are so many reasons why the proposed location is quite simply wrong. It's in green belt, it's in a Special Landscape Area, it extends the boundary of the historic settlement of Heptonstall, it's going to be visible from most surrounding hills, it's going to cause further congestion in an already congested road (the Blackshaw Head bus often has problems on that stretch of road) , There really is nothing in its favour.

If we do need facilities for caravans, then surely there are less prominent, more appropriate places, And if you turn prime agricultural land into a caravan park, you open the doors for potential development into a housing estate (and believe me, any houses built up there won't be low cost and affordable).

You can comment on this application here - Type in 15/00844/FUL