Residents urged to object to plan to build 172 new houses in Upper Rough part of rural Colne

Lidgett and Beyond, the East Colne countryside charity and community group, is urging its supporters to e-mail objecting to Accrue Capital’s bid to fill the Upper Rough with a huge development of 172 houses.

The group says this totally flies in the face of the appeal decision of 2016 which rejected a similar development.

L and B believes the developers have not addressed the Planning Inspector’s determination from the 2016 Appeal for the previous planning application on the Upper Rough:

• the negative impact on the Conservation Area in its agricultural setting

• the destruction of natural habitat for birds and animals, especially the red-listed curlew

• the negative impact on long range views

• the detrimental impact on footpaths, popular with hundreds of locals and visitors.

Mark Chung, who is on the Land B management team and is also a Trustee of the Campaign to Protect Rural England and of the Ramblers Association, said the plans could be “catastrophic” to East Colne.

He said: “The Planning Inspector in 2016 was quite clear and nothing has changed since.

"This ‘virtual exhibition’ and flyer is just a slickly presented, tick-box consultation at this stage, which developers have to do by law. There will still be a planning application coming forward, but we still need to make our feelings heard now.

“Accrue Capital claims that having access points off Castle Road and Windermere Avenue ‘will have minimal impact on traffic congestion’. That’s a farcical statement.

"This wannabe developer also claims that these 172 houses are not a housing estate, but ‘a new community within Colne. Our placemaking ideals will ensure the new development has modern homes in authentic local styles as well as pedestrian connectivity throughout the immediate neighbourhood for everyone to enjoy.’

"That’s ridiculous. Of course it’s a housing estate.”

"The developer renaming The Rough has also angered local residents. The London-based company doesn’t appear to know that the actual ‘Colne Valley’ is near Huddersfield.”

To take a look at the latest proposal to build on The Rough, visit: https://colnevalleyviewconsultation.co.uk.

Mark added: “L and B is now calling for more people who value the green lungs of Colne to join its membership.

"The charity already has over 500 members and membership is free. We have a Facebook page called Lidgett Bents and Beyond, a website: www.lidgettandbeyond.org and a Twitter feed under the handle @lidget&beyond.”

The consultation went live at the end of last week and L and B is asking locals to e-mail [email protected], copying in [email protected], so the group can keep track of how many responses there are and to record the reasons given.

The deadline for comments is Monday June 27th.

The Upper Rough has been chosen as a Local Green Space in the emerging Colne Neighbourhood Plan: https://colnetowncouncil.org.uk/services/neighbourhood-plan/, with the Green Spaces Report and the Colne Landscape Assessment documents being especially pertinent.

The application follows hot on the heels of another huge development planned for Colne with developers Gleeson Homes wanting to build 106 homes on land known locally as The Lenches.