A developer working with Sainsbury’s has been unsuccessful in its attempts to overturn a rejected planning permission bid.
The supermarket chain had intended to develop an area in the Hebden Bridge conservation area, which had formerly hosted one of West Yorkshire’s fire stations before it was demolished in 2009.
As part of its submitted plans for the vacant site was a retail area covering 460 square metres, with residential apartments above the main shop as well as townhouses also incorporated in the design.
Originally, planning officers at Calderdale Council had supported the plans, which would have helped the local economy with an estimated 20 new jobs for the area, in addition to new properties and provision of more shopping facilities.
However, Calderdale’s councillors refused planning permission in 2015, stating that the road access to the site was inadequate for the development.
They added that the area would not be able to cope with HGV deliveries to the store, or the increase in traffic caused by shoppers.
A planning inspector from the Government agreed with their concerns but Eshton Gregory, the developer working with Sainsbury’s, decided to take legal action to challenge the council’s rejection.
However, the High Court dismissed the developer’s claims that key national planning policies had been incorrectly applied and that the possibility of HGV delivery times being restricted had been ignored.
Judge Roger Kaye QC supported the planning officer’s decision that any benefits for the area would be outweighed by the development’s impact on highway safety and parking.