PLANS to bring 87 new homes to the Spen Valley have been met with objection from concerned residents who fear it will damage their village.

The planning application submitted to Kirklees Council by Quarters Gomersal Ltd is for development on green fields to the rear of 271 Cliffe Lane, Gomersal, near Cleckheaton.

To create access to the land, the existing property at number 271 would need to be demolished, as was approved in a previous application from a different applicant.

In 2019, outline planning permission was granted for 98 homes. However, this later fell through when the previous applicant, KCS Development Ltd, missed the deadlines for signing the section 106 agreement. Had this gone ahead, hundreds of thousands of pounds would have been secured for local schools.

In response to the current application, over 50 comments have been received, primarily from concerned residents, fearing for the impact the development could have on the local area. Concerns over increased traffic levels, a lack of privacy and a detrimental impact on wildlife are among the issues raised.

One objector wrote: “The consequential loss of the mature trees, in the fields, and the effect upon the natural environment will be to the detriment of the local landscape, and change the character of the area and diminish the local amenity that I and many other local residents have enjoyed, and change the character of that part of Gomersal from semi-rural to intensive housing.”

Another said: “The area is already very busy without the infrastructure for more houses. Many of the cars from this development would need to enter Oxford Road at the junction with West Lane. This junction is already very dangerous with regular accidents and near misses. As someone who enters the junction from Cambridge Chase it is a major concern to road safety.”

However, the Design and Access Statement on behalf of the applicant says that the previous application that was approved demonstrated that “all technical issues can be addressed”.

The statement concludes: “Overall, we consider this application demonstrates a deliverable solution for an allocated site. The proposal shows that all issues arising from development have been assessed and mitigation measures have been developed, as a result to make the development acceptable.”

A target date for a decision to be made on the plans has been set for Tuesday, January 9.