Work set to start on Baildon business park (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)
Get involved: send your pictures, video, news and views by texting TANEWS to 80360, or email
Work set to start on Baildon business park
7:00am Sunday 27th January 2013 in News
Objector: Baildon councillor Val Townend
The Council is pushing ahead with plans for a business park in Baildon, despite objections from people living nearby.
A Bradford Council report to be discussed next week says road construction work will begin early this year, subject to the Executive’s decision.
Campaigners lodged a 1,700-strong petition against the development last month.
BRAID, Baildon Residents Against Inappropriate Development, does not want to see the work at the 15-acre Buck Lane site off Otley Road, but the Council says the land has been allocated for employment since the late 1980s and was bought for that purpose.
The report, which outlines progress on the 15-year Airedale Masterplan to Shipley Area Committee, says the site ‘will serve as an expansion space for high-tech, high value businesses’.
It adds: “The project is about to enter the construction phase and tenders for works to enable the construction of the road junction and access have been advertised.”
The Council has had interest from private firms regarding the site’s development and the report says ‘agreements to take this forward are ready’.
But the progression of the work has frustrated Baildon councillor (Con) Val Townend. She said she raised concerns about infrastructure several years ago before a planning application had even been lodged.
“Otley Road is absolutely gridlocked without an additional 700 jobs,” she said.
“They’re putting some traffic lights and doing some roadworks, which is absolutely fine, but it’s no good if the road is gridlocked to start with,” she said.
“If you had something like the Shipley bypass there wouldn’t be a problem.”
Coun Townend said she will make her point again at Wednesday’s meeting of Shipley Area Committee, which takes place at the Queen’s Hall annexe, Main Street, Burley-in-Wharfedale at 6pm.
Councillors will also discuss improvements to Saltaire roundabout, rail improvements at Bingley station and the Airedale Greenway.
