Silsden says
Hands Off!
The fight to save our much-loved heritage fields has begun
THIS IS THE INFORMATION YOU NEED
Enjoying a family walk in one of the Hawber Cote/Brown Bank fields that are under threat from massive development by Persimmon Builders
As the community comes together to protect one of its finest countryside assets, here’s how we can make our objections really count!
We’ve all heard the news by now – Britain’s biggest and most profitable house builder, in alliance with landowners only too willing to share the golden pot, are seeking planning permission to dig up a landscape that is rich in trees, biodiversity and popular footpaths, which has served the community since before medieval times.
Make no mistake about it. The current Persimmon scheme for 140 houses, accessed from a new road entrance in rural Brown Bank Lane, is only the start. Their goal is to cover the entire beautiful landscape between Silsden and the hamlets of Swartha and Brunthwaite with a massive housing development of executive homes.
Yes, Silsden is already taking more than its share of the district’s housing allocation, losing much of our green and pleasant land in the process. Our infrastructure is under great stress and surely enough is enough.
But simply moaning to Bradford Council and its planners will not protect our countryside. If we have any hope of protecting this very special site, we must effectively address the issues at stake. We suggest you include some of the following points in your objections to the Council.
- Traffic: Silsden has been clobbered by roadworks, main services upgrades and constant delays and congestion caused by other developments. A new road junction will only add to the chaos. Persimmons include 292 new parking spaces in their current plan: that’s a load more cars along our local roads, and a rise in pollution! Silsden’s current Development Plan assumes a new bypass. This was never built, although hundreds of houses have been.
- Drainage: Silsden has a history of flooding, and our existing mains drainage and sewage systems are at capacity. But our Hawber Cote fields, stretching to Swartha, do an amazing job in absorbing rainfall and preventing flooding further down towards town. Persimmons own studies reveal that, if the ground here is built upon, it will not retain surface water. Instead, they plan to create large holding tanks to collect heavy rainwater, which will then be emptied into the sewers. This overload could allow untreated sewage to escape.
- Landscape: These gently rising fields, overlooking our valley settlement, are distinctive and attractive: they help to make Silsden the very special place that it is. Paving over our fields will destroy many of the features that people love about their community.
New School: To quote the leader of Bradford Council, our new primary school is “on the edge of town with amazing views across the valley which the children will love.” It is indeed a wonderful setting, full of possibilities for nature and climate studies, which could help the school become a national pioneer in environmental learning. This opportunity will disappear under the bulldozers if the Persimmon plan goes ahead. Furthermore, the school is already near capacity and places for all local children cannot be guaranteed if housing numbers continue to increase
Wildlife and Ecology: Our grand old trees and hedgerows, which edge these insect-rich fields, provide homes, food and shelter for a wide variety of birds, many of which, including curlew, lapwing and song-thrush, appear on the endangered list. Acres of tarmac will destroy forever the biodiversity of these fields. (Bradford Councils’ mission statement declares an ambition to ‘become known for pro-active management of biodiversity and water management.’) Don’t be fooled by Persimmons’ pernicious attempts to ‘green-wash’ this built-up development with ludicrous promises of ‘green spaces’ and increased biodiversity.
Community Health and Well Being: This tranquil spot is criss-crossed by much-loved footpaths, superbly accessible from town and offering walks alongside nature that provide the physical and mental health benefits that are needed more than ever, as Bradford Council’s own mission statement confirms.
Housing: We care very much that there are not enough homes for everyone – but as, housing experts have pointed out, the crisis in housing is not of capacity but of affordability. The vast majority of new houses built today are four or five bedroom executive residences on greenfield sites, completely out of the reach of first time buyers or those on council waiting lists. Persimmon promise a small percentage of ‘affordable homes’ amongst the Silsden mix, but the proportion of affordable housing is invariably the first casualty of development, renegotiated downwards as soon as planning permission is achieved.
Heritage: These Brown Bank/Hawber Cote fields have their own unique and important story within our local narrative. Please look at our “Silsden’s Green Ring” film and “Our Heritage Fields” leaflet, both of which appear on our website: www.silsdencountryside.org to get more information.
The Bigger Picture: Persimmons are trying to take advantage of a vanishing legal loophole. Our current Local Plan for the district is wildly out of date, going back to 2005. A new Plan is coming together which will not permit this development but it has not yet been adopted. It’s vital that this new plan is brought forward and implemented now.
To understand more of the background to Silsden’s land allocation and housing plans, and to make your objections even more effective, go to the PLANNING page on our website at www.silsdencountryside.org
Objections to the Persimmon Plan should be written in courteous but relevant terms and, where possible, should be submitted by 14th April.
Please encourage your family and friends to send in their objections too! Persimmons may have great wealth at their disposal (the company makes a profit of around £66,000 per house, with an annual overall profit now hovering around £1billion) but we have the people power and commitment, if only we can use it to maximum effect.
HOW TO OBJECT
Bradford’s Planning Portal can be found at
https://planning.bradford.gov.uk/online-applications
Scroll to the box at the bottom of the page and insert the reference number
22/01184/MAF
This will take you to the next page where you can look at the documents or click on the tab marked ‘Comments’ to complete your details and your objections.
Alternatively you can write to:-
The Planning Service, 4th Floor Britannia House, Hall Ings, Bradford, BD1 1XH
(Quoting the reference number above)
The main deadline for comments is 14th April 2022
Silsden Campaign for the Countryside
