Frequently Asked Questions
Why is this being proposed on the Green Belt? Won’t development on the Green Belt harm the local environment?
Broad Cut Farm is identified in Wakefield’s Local Plan (known as Special Policy Area SPA18 ‘Calder Grove, Land at Junction 39 M1 Durkar, Wakefield’) and the site’s Green Belt status was removed to allow for development. The development will address known economic and housing need in the area and contribute positively to all three priorities in the Wakefield District Economic Strategy – Successful Business, Successful People, Successful Places.
In particular, the site responds to a specific ambition in the Economic Strategy to create an innovative manufacturing hub close to the motorway, which will attract investment, businesses and skilled workers to the area as well as create circa 780 jobs in high value, highly-skilled industries. There is no other site in the district capable of delivering on this ambition, and no other designated innovative manufacturing hub anywhere in West Yorkshire. The development is a chance to change perceptions of Wakefield as a dynamic, innovation-led economy and meet the region’s ambitions to be at the heart of a “MIT for the North”.
Far from harming the local environment, the development will in fact improve the current site. The plans include a significant focus on tree and wildflower planting, accessibility to waterways and the creation of new walking and cycling paths, which will bring wildlife including bats, badgers and pollinating insects back to the area, and given local people the opportunity to access nature in their area. With views over the Calder-Hebble Navigation, the development will be attractive place for people to live, work and spend leisure time.
Is the site allocated in Wakefield’s Local Plan?
Wakefield Council adopted their Local Plan in January 2024. The Plan included the allocation of Broad Cut Farm (known in the Plan as SPA18 Land at Junction 39 (M1) Durkar) as a Special Area designated for an Advanced Manufacturing Park to support the area’s economy. The site allocation also allows for the development of 100 homes, recognising the Council’s aspirations to develop mixed-use, sustainable sites.
Local roads are already busy – won’t this lead to yet more traffic congestion, especially so close to the motorway junction?
An independent assessment has concluded that there will be limited impact on traffic in the area, with less than one additional vehicle expected on nearby roads every two minutes as a result of the development.
The proposals contain a number of options to promote sustainable travel, reducing traffic levels and air pollution in the area. It is close to existing bus routes, giving future residents and employees of the site the option to travel by bus. Meanwhile the proposals to incorporate new cycling and walking paths as part of the development will make it easier for local people to travel by bike or by foot – which will have benefits both for the local environment and people’s health.
Why is this development needed – especially so close to Calder Park?
The proposals for Broad Cut Farm will fill an identified gap in Wakefield’s and West Yorkshire’s economy by creating a hub for innovative manufacturing. The proposals address the urgent need for economic growth and job creation identified in Wakefield’s Economic Strategy and are expected to create circa 780 permanent high-quality jobs and apprenticeships in the local area, as well as construction employment.
Broad Cut Farm will attract different kinds of businesses and skilled workers to the area to other local employment sites, with a focus on innovative manufacturing and high-tech industries that offer great prospects for high value employment opportunities and economic growth.
The Broad Cut Farm development will both benefit and benefit from its proximity to Calder Park and other local amenities, including the Cedar Court Hotel. Those amenities will help to attract businesses, workers and residents to the site, who will in turn spend money locally, benefitting nearby businesses and the Wakefield economy.
How will this impact neighbouring communities?
AAA Property Group, which has put forward the proposals, is a West Yorkshire-based family business that is committed to supporting the region’s economic success. It is intended that this development will provide many positive benefits for neighbouring communities, including:
- Creating over 700 new, high-quality jobs and apprenticeships in the local area, of which local people can take advantage and from which local businesses will benefit
- Providing new recreational opportunities for local people by opening up access to nature on a site next to the Calder-Hebble Navigation that is currently inaccessible
- Improving the local environment by planting a substantial number of new trees and wildflowers and by regenerating wildlife habits that have suffered from the site’s decades of use as agricultural land
- Addressing housing need in the area by building high quality new homes, including affordable housing
- Improving sustainable transport in the area by creating new cycling and walking paths enabling people to travel by bike or by foot.
- Independent expert assessments have indicated that there will be limited impact on traffic, air quality and noise levels in the area
- The development will incorporate sympathetic, high-quality design and sustainable materials with no individual building exceeding 100,000 sq ft
Why here?
No other site in the district offers the same mix of economic, social and environmental benefits as this one, given its strategic location close to the M1 and local road network, the high value businesses and employment it will attract, and the opportunities it provides to improve the local environment by regenerating a long-neglected site next to the Calder-Hebble Navigation.
What are the air quality implications of the development, given that the site is next to an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA)? Will there be any implications for the planned new homes, given how close the site is to the M1 and Denby Dale Road?
An independent air quality impact assessment has concluded that Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) levels around the development will remain well within UK limits. Despite being located close to the M1 and Denby Dale Road, NO2 concentrations are already significantly below the UK limit. The independent assessment concludes that the proposed development will not have a significant impact on these existing levels.
The proposed housing on the site will be set back from the road to minimise exposure to traffic fumes for residents. A further, detailed air quality assessment will be carried out as part of the planning application process to ensure that the site can be developed with minimal implications for air quality in the area. In addition to the sustainability measures already planned for the site – including the creation of cycling and walking paths to encourage sustainable travel – a range of options to reduce air quality impacts will be explored, including electrical vehicle charging points, low polluting gas-fired boilers and efforts to mitigate construction dust.
What are the air quality implications of the development, given that the site is next to an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA)? Will there be any implications for the planned new homes, given how close the site is to the M1 and Denby Dale Road?
An independent air quality impact assessment has concluded that Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) levels around the development will remain well within UK limits. Despite being located close to the M1 and Denby Dale Road, NO2 concentrations are already significantly below the UK limit. The independent assessment concludes that the proposed development will not have a significant impact on these existing levels.
The proposed housing on the site will be set back from the road to minimise exposure to traffic fumes for residents. A further, detailed air quality assessment will be carried out as part of the planning application process to ensure that the site can be developed with minimal implications for air quality in the area. In addition to the sustainability measures already planned for the site – including the creation of cycling and walking paths to encourage sustainable travel – a range of options to reduce air quality impacts will be explored, including electrical vehicle charging points, low polluting gas-fired boilers and efforts to mitigate construction dust.
Why did you submit an Environmental Impact Statement before the Local Plan process had been completed?
Broad Cut Farm was a draft allocation within the emerging Wakefield Local Plan, and had been for some time.
As part of any future planning application for the site, we will need to prepare and submit an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). An EIA sets out the impact of the planned development on the local environment and what mitigation measures will be delivered as part of the scheme.
Before working up an EIA, developers request a ‘Scoping Opinion’ from the Local Authority, to agree the scope and level of detail of information needed within the EIA. We submitted our Scoping Opinion request to Wakefield Council in December 2023.
This is a mandatory and standard step in the planning process and helped us to be ready to progress with our public consultation on plans for the site after the Local Plan process had been completed. We have not yet submitted a planning application to Wakefield Council and we will speak to local residents and stakeholders before we do, taking on board comments and suggestions. Now that the Local Plan process has concluded, we are preparing to hold our pre-application public consultation soon.
The planning application that will be submitted later in the year will be for ‘Outline Planning’, securing the principle of development and agreeing the site’s access. Further, ‘Detailed’ or ‘Reserved Matters’ planning applications will be submitted to agree the size, style, layout and design of the buildings on the site.