Councillors approve Crofton village housing scheme despite hundreds of objections
Plans have been approved for a village housing development despite pleas from residents for the scheme to be rejected.
A planning committee voted in favour of an application to build 126 homes in Crofton, Wakefield, by a majority of five to two at a meeting on Thursday (December 11).
Residents, councillors and the area’s MP campaigned for more than two years to stop proposals for the site off Santingley Lane.
The Miller Homes scheme attracted 500 objections and eight comments of support.
Opponents said the village was already “saturated” due to a spate of housing schemes in the area.
Concerns were also raised over an increase in traffic and the development being prone to flooding.
Maureen Cummings, councillor for Crofton, Ryhill and Walton, spoke on behalf of residents at Wakefield Council’s planning and highways committee meeting.
She said: “The area is already operating at the very limits of its capacity.
“Doncaster Road, High Street and Santingley Lane suffer from congestion during peak hours.
“The morning rush, the afternoon return, the school runs and the weekend bustle each bring their own set of challenges – extended queues, frustrated drivers and a risk to pedestrian safety that cannot be ignored.”
Coun Cummings said sewage systems in the area, constructed in the 1960s, were “showing their age.”
She said: “Residents are reporting periodic waterlogging in gardens, backflow of dirty water into homes and overflowing drains after thunderstorms.
“Insurance companies are increasingly unwilling to cover properties built on flood-prone land.
“This leaves homeowners with unsaleable and uninsurable properties trapped by the very homes that were meant to provide security.
“We must not allow a short-term vision of profit to cloud our judgement on an issue with such profound long-term ramifications.”
Urging the committee to turn down the scheme, Coun Cummings added: “My opposition to this application is not rooted in nimbyism, nor is it a rejection of progress or growth.
“It is a plea for responsible stewardship.
“We owe it to our children and all who live here after us to make decisions that are guided not by short-term interests but by the collective wellbeing of our community.”
Simon Bennett, from Crofton Parish Council, said the scheme was one of many housing projects to be built in in the village in recent years.
He said: “It is our consideration that Crofton is now bigger than some towns in the UK.
“Nothing has been done in the 47 years I have lived in Crofton to the road network to accommodate additional development.
“Not are there schools, doctors or other facilities to accommodate additional residents.”
Council planning officers recommended the scheme for approval, saying there were “no technical reasons to withhold planning permission.”
Rachael Martin, a planning agent speaking on behalf of Miller Homes, said: “The application delivers a high quality sustainable scheme, providing a mix of new homes at a site which is allocated for housing.
“The principle of development is considered acceptable.
“Your officers have concluded that the overall design, character and appearance, landscaping and layout of the scheme would result in a high standard of housing that would protect the community of existing residents in accordance with policy and guidance.”
Ms Martin said a new draining system would be installed to serve the homes and that Yorkshire Water had raised no objections.
She added that the scheme was supported by a transport assessment which said the impact of traffic generated on the road network was acceptable.
Councillors were also told a condition of granting planning consent included the developer being required to make financial contributions towards local infrastructure.