View the planning application details here     The Developer's website

Contact the Action Group here

• NEW!  'Garden Street: back to the drawing board'  Hebden Bridge Times 11th June 2009
  
  
• NEW! Developer also refused Inquiry Costs appeal  A number of people have asked about this.  Here is the Inspector's decision letter.
  
  
• NEW! Calderdale Council withdraws Garden Street development opportunity! Those of you who have read the Hebden Bridge Times article of 4th June will have detected clear signals that the developers had no intention of giving up.  Predictable, I'm afraid, given their catalogue of misjudgements over the years.  So the Action Group wrote directly to the Council Chief Executive asking that the damaging uncertainty be removed once and for all by Calderdale taking their site off the market, and cancelling their legal agreement with the developer.  That would effectively end the project.
  
  We're very pleased that this request has met with an immediate response. "It is obvious people in Hebden Bridge don't want what was being proposed so we need to start again with a clean sheet of paper," said Calderdale Council leader Stephen Baines." 
  
  And: "The council's regeneration spokeswoman Amanda Byrne said the council was under no obligation to deal any further with Hebden Royd Development LLP which was chosen to building homes and multi-storey car park on the site.  "There is no legal reason to continue with the scheme," said Coun Byrne (Con, Sowerby Bridge)."  See next item for the full Courier article
  
  The Action Group, together with ward councillors, will be monitoring how this very clear promise is fulfilled in practice but at last the Council is making good the damage caused by its previous mistakes.  So, many thanks for that.
  
  
• 'Back to the drawing board with Garden Street: Council start again with Hebden Bridge car park"  Halifax Courier 9th June 2009
  
  
• NEW! Issues Statement - matters arising for the future  In a letter in the Hebden Bridge Times 4th June we summarised some of the outstanding issues arising from the rejection of the planning application.  The Issues Statement describing these at greater length is here.
  
  Technical note: two hyperlinks in this PDF don't appear to be live.  The Hebden Bridge Conservation Area statement is here, and the Savile Park one here.
  
  
• ''Wonky homes' plan thrown out'  Hebden Bridge Times 4th June 2009
  
  
• 'Inspector throws out 'wonky' homes plan'  Halifax Courier 29th May 2009
  
  
• NEW! Appeal decision - planning application REJECTED!
  The decision letter (download it here) was so quick we had to check with the Planning Inspectorate first that it was genuine. The Inspector has turned down the application in record time because ... it's too large! (Gosh, what a surprise).  "... Block A would rise above and visually dominate its neighbour. As such it would be an unacceptably intrusive feature within the street scene"; and "... arising from their overall size and scale, Blocks D and E would be at odds with this pleasing scale and massing; they would visually dominate and be unacceptably harmful to the character and ambience of the locale."  But the Inspector did not reject the scheme either on parking or local amenity grounds.
  
  Anthony Rae said: "It's the decision we expected, because in truth the developers did not put up a good case at the Inquiry.  This must now be the end of a damaging episode in the history of the town, which came about simply because a couple of individuals made almost every conceivable mistake when hatching the earliest stages of this ill-thought out scheme. Fortunately for Hebden Bridge, when their proposals were finally put before, first the independent tribunal of the Planning Committee, and now an independent Inspector, they were found wanting, and so a great risk to the town has been averted."
  
  "Calderdale Council MUST now withdraw this development opportunity on their own site, and cancel the legal agreement they signed with the developer.  Until they do this, dangers will still remain.  As we've said before: they got us into this mess, now they must get us out of it with one final, decisive, action."
  
  "We can thank all the members of the Garden Street Action Group, and our many supporters, for having contributed to this successful outcome."
  
  
•  End of the Inquiry - actually!  Closing submissions were made on Friday - you can read the Action Group statement here, and our opening statement at the start of the Inquiry here  Our Closing included the findings of our inspection of a building in Barnsley which the developers had finally revealed would have an external cladding system similar to the one they were proposing - see the next item.  The closing submission from the Councils barrister Michael Bedford was excellent; that from the developers' less so, reflecting the weakness of the case she was having to summarise.
  
  I said we would provide a fuller account of the Inquiry once it was finally over.  I think it has gone well for the objectors.  I don't want to make any predictions but my judgment is that the balance of evidence was in our favour, and obviously we were really helped by Calderdale Council putting up a strong case against, expertly presented.  The developers' witnesses were less convincing, and throughout the Inquiry they were constantly having submit revised plans as flaws were identified.  The Action Group was congratulated by the Inspector for the quality of our evidence.
  
  We must now wait for him to reach his own decision about the planning application.  Generally this takes around 2-3 months; so maybe sometime in July?  Many thanks to everyone who helped prepare our case, or who turned up or spoke at the Inquiry.
  
  
• Day trip to Barnsley reveals unacceptable exterior  At long last, under cross examination, the architects revealed that the 'cladding system' they were proposing might be similar to the one on the new Digital Media Centre in Barnsley.  So immediately Anthony Rae jumped on a train to see what that looked like; see appendix 2 in his Closing Statement above. And, surprise surprise, it's a totally unsuitable material that looks artificial whether it's made of a stone veneer or not; it will stick out completely within the natural stone construction of the rest of the town; and like all 'cladding systems' will probably suffer structural and maintenance problems. It's completely unacceptable for the Hebden Bridge Conservation Area, and that's what we said to the Inspector!
  
  
• 'Inquiry to decide fate of Garden Street plan'  Hebden Bridge Times 7th May
  
  
• End of the Inquiry - almost  All of the evidence has been heard and cross-examined in the three and a half days to Friday lunchtime (it's over-running a bit because of the thoroughness of the process); the site visit will now be next Thursday and 'Final Submissions' - when each of the parties including the Action Group get to make their concluding statements - at the Kings Centre Friday 10am. Lots of members of the public made personal statements of objection on Thursday afternoon, including 3 Calderdale councillors, and just one supporter.  Anthony Rae for the Action Group said: "So far I think the arguments made by the Council and ourselves have been effective.  We'll give a fuller account after the Inquiry closes" 2nd May
  
  
• 'Inquiry hears pros and cons of Garden Street scheme'  Hebden Bridge Times 30th April
  
  
• More misleading information from the developer  We understand that the developers' representative has been handing out leaflets to some retailers in the town this week, in an apparent attempt to undermine the Business Association's objection to their scheme.  You can read a copy here and here.  The leaflet is both inaccurate and misleading; you can read the Action Group's letter of response to the Association here.  Anthony Rae said: "It's very disappointing that the developer should employ such tactics but we won't be responding.  However, if necessary, we'll draw the leaflet to the attention of the Inquiry Inspector".
  
  
• Read and download the evidence here We understand that the evidence for a public inquiry is normally available to download from the website of the Planning Inspectorate but for some reason (not suspicious!) the Garden Street stuff isn't, so to assist members of the community understand the issues and to test all the cases about to be put, we are now making available the main and summary proofs of evidence of all the parties.  If you're planning to come to the Public Inquiry, and maybe speak as well, you may want to read these.
  
  Developers: Planning - main and summary proof  Architecture - main and summary proof  Conservation Area - main and summary proof  Transport - main  proof
  
  Council (objectors): Conservation Area - main and summary proof  Transport - main and summary proof
  
  Action Group (objectors): main and summary proof
  
  
• Public Inquiry dates: Tues 28th - Thurs 30th April 2009
  10am, King's Centre HX1 2TS The Inquiry is open to the public so, first of all, put these dates in your diary now if you want or can attend! You'll be able to hear the argument and then, at the allocated time and with the permission of the Inspector, anyone who wants will be able to make a personal statement or raise an issue that concerns them.  See the Guide below on the rules for this. The venue is the same as the Planning committee meeting.
  
  
  News Archive April 2008 - April 2009