Community centre decision imminent

Planning officials will decide whether to allow Mirfield Community Trust to build the centre on the Gilder Hall site on August 23.

The Trust and the Gilder Hall Youth Foundation currently have a temporary home in Wateroyd Lane.

Trust chairman Geoff Walls said: “The planning application to rebuild new facilities on Gilder Hall will mean reinstating a long-standing local community facility.

“The Trust is very excited about the opportunities new facilities will bring them and all the associated benefits to the people of Mirfield.

“Currently, approximately 800 people use the Wateroyd site for various activities on a weekly basis and current accommodation does not allow for growth nor social or sporting amenities.”

The application was discussed at Mirfield Town Council on Tuesday.

Coun James Taylor said: “They’ve been struggling with Kirklees as members who’ve been on here for many years know.

“The application is live, but it’s not live on the Kirklees website so we still can’t see the plans.”

The meeting heard significant changes had been made since the original outline application in 2010.

It is thought traffic will access the site from Greenside instead of Wellhouse Lane as originally proposed.

Coun Martyn Bolt said he would have expected the trust to carry out fresh consultation before submitting the plan. He said he also wanted to know more about the financial models used.

“Is it going to be sustainable in the current climate?”, he said.

Coun Kath Taylor questioned whether the project, which had been in the pipelines since 2001, would ever be completed.

“Let’s not forget they’ve had a full application before,” she said. “They got permission and they didn’t use it.

“There will be agitation from residents, we’ll go through it all. Are they then going to bottle it again?”

Councillors agreed to discuss the plans on July 23 when Gilder Hall representatives would be invited to give a presentation at 7pm.