SUPPORTERS of plans for a new industrial park on a Keighley flood plain say the development will not increase the risk of flooding for people living near the Aire.

Bradford Council has again voted in favour of the plans for land off Royd Ings Avenue, next to the River Aire.

The Environment Agency had raised concerns that the industrial park could create a higher risk of floods further down the river.

But last Thursday, (June 21) councillors approved the plans, saying the benefits of a multi-million pound investment and hundreds of new jobs outweighed the risks created by building.

The decision was made hours before Leeds City Council discussed plans for a £112 million scheme to reduce the risk of flooding further down the River Aire.

Bradford Council’s regulatory and appeals committee reiterated its support for the extension of Keighley Industrial Park – a development that would see nine commercial units built on stilts to allow water to pass underneath.

The committee had already voted to support the plan by PH Holdings, in March, despite recommendations from planning officers to refuse the scheme.

Since then, the Environment Agency had raised serious concerns about the application, saying the development would cause flood risks further down the river.

They pointed out that on April 3, days after the committee voted to support the plans after claiming there was little evidence of recent flooding on the site, the site did actually flood.

The committee was asked to re-consider the plans, but at last week’s meeting again voted for them to go ahead.

The scheme still has to go before the Secretary of State for final approval. The Environment Agency will need to issue a certificate allowing it to operate.

At the committee meeting Ian Hayfield, representing the applicants, said: “I cannot stress enough the economic benefits this development will have on the area for generations to come. This is about £50 million to £60 million in private sector investment.

“I have companies on my doorstep waiting to expand by moving here and there will be hundreds of jobs.”

Cllr Mike Ellis pointed out that flood alleviation projects would soon take place elsewhere on the river and this could make flooding at the site less likely.

Sam Kipling, from the Environment Agency, responded that those projects were publicly funded, adding: “This funding is about protecting existing developments, not to unlock sites for growth and new developments.”

Cllr Simon Cooke said: “It would be nice if planning decisions were clear cut, and we didn’t have to make a Solomon-like judgement of whether the people of Keighley should have jobs or if we have to put up with a higher risk of flooding somewhere else down the River Aire.

“This development will have a clear benefit to people who we are here to represent, set against a difficult to assess future risk to other people who we are here to represent in places like Cottingley, Shipley and Esholt.”

Cllr Alun Griffiths said he would feel “very foolish” to overrule the agency’s expert opinion.

Cllr Shabir Hussain said: “I can’t understand why there’s so much fuss about building in a flood plain. They build bridges over miles of water without much of a problem.”

Six councillors voted in favour of the plans, and one against.

After the meeting Cllr Jeanette Sunderland, who will write to the Secretary of State urging refusal of the plans, said: “As a councillor who was involved helping people after the 2015 floods, I’m shocked and astonished that Bradford Council have gone against all of the warnings of the Environment Agency.”

However, Mr Hayfield, a chartered surveyor and co-founder of the company Hayfield Robinson, said: “We’ve taken into account climate change and we’re of the firm opinion there’ll be no displacement of water storage on the existing flood plain.

“There are some challenges but this is truly the most exciting property development scheme I’ve got involved with in my career.

“There’s a lack of available industrial accommodation not only in Keighley and the Aire Valley but throughout Bradford district as a whole.

“In my 25 years of operating in the district I’ve never known occupancy levels as they are today.

“On an almost daily basis industrial and manufacturing occupiers are talking to me and my fellow director Justin Robinson about wanting to expand. We feel frustrated when we have to tell a business there is nowhere to expand to.

“We must act now. There’s a real chance some occupiers will consider moving out of the area unless we can find them space to move into and expand.

“We now have an opportunity with Keighley Industrial Park. Keighley has never seen this scale of private sector investment and is highly unlikely to see it again.”

Michael Ainsworth, of Michael Ainsworth Design Partnership, (MADP), also acting for the applicant, said: “We’ve carefully considered engineering solutions so the proposal will not displace any flood water that the site would usually hold.

“The use of stilts to elevate the structures is a technique used throughout several regions in Europe, America and the UK.

“They allow water to pass below unrestricted, while maintaining a safe environment above, so that the proposed road and floor levels are 370mm higher than the adjacent Royd Ings Avenue.

“Engineers have 3D modelled the site to allow us to calculate the exact amount of flood water the site has previously held, based on the Environment Agency’s own records and requirements.

“By careful re-grading of the site to account for any structures proposed within it and the use of 3D modelling to calculate the effect, we’ve been able to calculate that even in a worse case 100-year event we will not displace any water.

“Due to the increasing pressure from development and ever changing environmental conditions and known climate change, innovative approach to design has been employed in the UK to alleviate flood risk.

“Developments include the scheme approved by Suffolk Council on the Suffolk peninsula where flooding is a particular concern.

“This comprises 850 new homes, a new school, a local centre and a new marina. New homes along the waterfront are influenced by Dutch housing design and sit on stilts three meters above ground level, making them entirely flood proof.

“Local authorities have been sympathetic to existing sites that have been affected by flooding, such as Russell Dean, Halifax.

“This site flooded in the Boxing Day floods two and a half years ago, resulting in the retail unit being damaged and goods being destroyed.

“A planning application was submitted with the retail areas raised over two metres from their existing level, and the new undercroft area used for parking.

“This proposal would allow the site to flood with no fear of the retail areas being affected. This application was approved in February 2017.”

Keighley Central ward councillor Abid Hussain said he was “delighted” the Keighley industrial park project had been approved.

“It’s a great boost for Keighley, in terms of the massive investment and the jobs it will create,” he said.

“The developer should be praised for the vision and confidence shown in the town.”

His fellow ward councillor Khadim Hussain also praised the application.

“I’ve fully supported it from day one,” he said. “When I held an economic strategy meeting in Keighley two and a half years ago we had about 50 odd companies there who were crying out to be able to expand and saying there was a lack of space in Keighley.”

Cllr Hussain said he was confident the developer’s measures to cope with flooding would be effective.

“I think Bradford Council has acted responsibly,” he said. “They’ve weighed the increase in jobs against a minimal risk of flooding. This is a good project which will bring prosperity to Keighley and I hope it comes to fruition.”