AN application to build 48 homes in Mirfield will go before planning officers tomorrow.

The application, for land off Northorpe Lane, is one of several schemes to go before Kirklees Council’s Strategic Planning Committee.

People living in the nearby hamlet of Northorpe say their compact community will be “swamped” by building 48 houses on a parcel of farmland.

They say narrow Northorpe Lane is already heavily used by motorists and fear that congestion will only increase if the housing estate is built.

Campaigners' battle against Mirfield homes plan ends

Nearby 17th century Northorpe Hall houses a children’s mental health charity caring for very vulnerable youngsters.

Cheryl Tyler, chairman of Save Mirfield, said: “It is of enormous concern to us that these people will be exposed to further risks due to the potential increase in traffic movements to and from the proposed development.

“The hall also already – normally – accommodates weddings every Saturday from around April into the autumn and there are other regular activities such as concerts.

“All of these put some stress on Northorpe Lane that is just about tolerable but more traffic will tip the balance.”

Kirklees Council is tasked with building tens of thousands of new homes in the borough via its Local Plan, which was adopted in February 2019.

An order from the Government, the Local Plan includes 31,000 homes, many of which will have to be built within the green belt, as there is insufficient non-green belt land in the borough.

It equates to building 1,730 homes per annum in the borough.