Controversial town plan rejected

The project had been recommended for approval

Plans for a controversial housing development in a picturesque Pennine town have been thrown out by councillors.

The £10m scheme to build flats, offices and parking spaces had been the biggest project proposed for Hebden Bridge, near Halifax, for more than 50 years.

Thousands had opposed the plans, which were recommended for approval.

But Calderdale councillors said the scheme was too ambitious and did not respect a conservation area.

The plans included six tower blocks of between three and seven storeys, as well as homes, shops, offices and a car park.

Hundreds of protesters had packed a special Calderdale Council meeting at the King's Centre in Halifax, where the 5-2 vote to reject the application was made.

Anthony Rae, a spokesman for the Garden Street Action Group, said 3,400 people had objected to the plans and a group survey had shown 116 out of 122 businesses also opposed it.

This is a great victory for a determined campaign by the Hebden Bridge community Anthony Rae, campaigner

Councillors said the design "failed to respect or enhance the conservation area and the proposal would not be on a scale consistent with the size of Hebden Bridge".

Mr Rae said after the meeting: "This is a great victory for a determined campaign by the Hebden Bridge community against a completely unnecessary and ill-advised development.

"We also, for the third time, call upon the developer to act in the best interest of Hebden Bridge and abandon their development proposals."

The group's main objections focus on town centre disruption during construction, and the car park plans.

They had said there was no serious need for more parking, despite local authority surveys in 2005 and 2007 which had showed a commercial concern about a lack of parking.

Studio BAAD, the Hebden Bridge-based architects behind the scheme, were contacted following the vote and said they were formulating a response to the decision.