100 residents rally in Mirfield to oppose Balderstone Fields housing development ahead of new planning legislation
Around 100 Mirfield residents turned out in force to rally against a proposed housing development at Balderstone Fields.
Residents gathered on Sunday, October 11, to show their continued opposition to Bellway Homes Limited’s application - which was received by Kirklees Council on December 4, 2025 - for 75 new homes on land off Woodward Court, near to Crossley Fields Junior and Infant School.
The latest protest comes ahead of new regulations, set to come into effect from October 31, which will see more decisions made by planning officers, with applications only sent to Kirklees Council’s strategic planning committee or district-wide planning committee if certain conditions are met.
The aim is to speed up decision-making and ensure greater clarity and consistency about the role of planning committees - but it will remove the existing right of Kirklees councillors to refer an application to a committee for decision.
“It is another barrier and challenge,” chair of Save Mirfield, Cheryl Tyler, said. “This means that in future the planning department at Kirklees will have stronger delegated powers to approve or refuse applications.
“Only in exceptional circumstances will the plans be judged by a committee of elected councillors. How many people are aware of this?”
A spokesperson for Kirklees Council said: “The planning application for 75 homes at Balderstone Hall Fields in Mirfield is still under consideration and is not yet ready for a decision.
“When we get to the stage where an application is ready for a decision, it will be subject to the gateway test, introduced through the National Scheme of Delegation as part of the Government’s wider planning reforms. This process must be completed before the appropriate route for making a decision on the application can be confirmed.
“Because of where we are currently in the planning process, it is too early to confirm at this stage whether the application will be considered by the Strategic Planning Committee.”
The latest planning application is the fifth attempt since 1983 for a housing development at the site, with the previous four either refused or withdrawn. It has seen more than 500 comments provided by residents.
“For the past 30 years or so, Balderstone Hall Fields has been under threat,” Cheryl said.
The previous plan, received in 2017, for 61 homes was refused by the strategic planning committee.
Cheryl said: “There was no five-year land supply. The councillors on the committee were vindicated in 2019 when during the Local Plan allocations, the inspector made sure that the site was ‘safeguarded land’ until 2031.
"One of the main comments in the assessment of the site was that Hepworth Lane is 'unsuitable for intensification'. Why has that suddenly been cast aside?
“Now as then, there is no five-year land supply, so the applicant once again saw the chance to put in an application, which became live on Christmas Eve 2025. This is for 75 houses - 14 more than were refused last time.”
In many of the written objections to the plans, there are concerns from local residents about the increase of traffic and the safety of children should the development get the green light.
“Over the last eight years the capacity for vehicles has not improved,” Cheryl said.
“The local narrow lanes are a legacy of the area’s agricultural past. The number of vehicles has not declined and there are more home deliveries now than ever.
“More than 500 written objections, including those from Save Mirfield and our highways consultant, show that opposition to this dangerous development so close to Crossley Fields Junior and Infant School has increased over the years.
“We are pushing to get this current application from Bellway before the strategic planning committee because of the historic and consistent numbers of refusals on highways grounds and because this current application adds further dangers.”
A spokesperson for Bellway said: “Mirfield has an ongoing need for new homes, and we believe this proposal can make a positive contribution to meeting local housing demand, including the delivery of affordable housing.
“The proposals have been supported by a range of technical assessments and include measures aimed at improving road safety and managing traffic around the nearby school, including new parking provision, traffic calming features and safer pedestrian crossing points.
"We will continue to engage constructively with the council and relevant stakeholders as the application progresses.”