Plan for 260 homes recommended for approval

Plans for 260 homes on farmland have been recommended for approval despite hundreds of objections and fears about a loss of wildlife.

The Hollins Bank project would see an 11-hectare site in Hemsworth redeveloped for a "high standard of housing", according to a Wakefield Council report.

More than 250 people have opposed the plan with objectors also raising concerns about a lack of schools and doctors to accommodate more properties.

The land was part of the greenbelt until January when it was reallocated for housing in the council’s Local Development Plan.

Normanton and Hemsworth MP Jon Trickett has opposed the plan along with district councillors and Hemsworth Town Council.

Along with fears about the impact on wildlife, Hemsworth councillor Jakob Williamson said there had been “historic flooding events” nearby and there was a lack of suitable drainage to cope with major development.

The town council said the development would bring up to 500 vehicles to the area and exacerbate the town's traffic and pollution problems.

Residents who supported the plan said it would boost the economy and offer more home ownership opportunities, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Speaking when a public consultation was launched last year, Kate Culverhouse, community relations manager at developer Banks Group, said: “There is a clear and increasingly pressing need across the UK to increase the available supply of quality homes, including in this popular part of West Yorkshire.

“We firmly believe that people should have the opportunity to stay in or move to the places where they wish to live, and that this is a wholly suitable location for the high-quality development that we’re proposing to deliver.”

The authority will decide on the development at its planning meeting on Thursday.

Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North or tell us a story you think we should be covering here.