Planners reject Bronte Country homes plan

Plans to build houses in an area made famous by the Bronte sisters have been refused.

An application had been submitted for three homes on land off Pasture Avenue in Oakworth, which lies within an area known as Bronte Country.

However, planners said the development would "harm" the conservation area it sat within.

Building the homes would result in a "loss of openness, with no corresponding public benefit" to outweigh that harm, they added.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), the application for the houses was submitted by W J Poole, who said the development was “capable of being integrated into its setting".

But, rejecting the proposals, Bradford Council planners said the site provided an important green gap between the village and neighbouring hamlet of Dockroyd.

Concerns were also raised about the different levels of land on the site.

Highways officers argued the driveways to the planned properties would be so steep that residents might opt to park on the street instead.

The area known as Bronte Country includes locations associated with the famous literary sisters who lived in Thornton, Bradford, before moving to their more famous home at the parsonage in Haworth.

Bronte Country is centred on Haworth, but covers a broad stretch of land which inspired many of the sisters' novels.

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