Latest news with #CalderdaleCouncil
BBC News
4 days ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Campaigners submit petition against Sowerby Bridge incinerator
A petition bearing 2,400 signatures has been submitted against long-running proposals to build an incinerator in a West Yorkshire in Sowerby Bridge have opposed the plans for a waste plant - which Calderdale Council approved an environmental permit for at the end of Wednesday, some of those involved in the campaign gathered outside Halifax Town Hall and chanted "they don't care about our air", before handing a petition to elected members calling for the permit to be local authority has previously said its officers found the incinerator to be legal and therefore the permit would not be rescinded. In February, campaigners raised £10,000 to launch a legal challenge against the decision, but the High Court later refused one of them, Malcolm Powell, permission to apply for a judicial Powell is planning to appeal against that ruling, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) said. Formally presenting the petition, Sowerby Bridge Labour councillor Simon Ashton said the uncertainty around the situation was affecting residents and cited air quality and health impacts as being among the main objections to the incinerator. "Constituents have raised their voice and I urge this council to listen – please heed this petition and consider rescinding the permit," Ashton told the Council initially rejected a first application from Calder Valley Skip Hire (CVSH) to run the incinerator at its Rochdale Road site, before that decision was overturned on appeal. A public inquiry later effectively backed the council's original position, however. CVSH then submitted a second application, which was granted by the local authority alongside conditions, one of which would require continuous monitoring of air quality in the opponents' grievances is the fact the second application was decided by officers, rather than debated by councillors in Council leader Jane Scullion told Wednesday's meeting that potential changes to the authority's planning system, which would mean councillors have the final say on such proposals, would be considered at the council's next Cabinet meeting. Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
BBC News
07-07-2025
- Automotive
- BBC News
Calderdale Council to spend £56k on fleet's eco-fuel
Using eco-fuel will cost Calderdale Council an additional £56,000 a year but will lead to savings on maintenance and prolong the life of its vehicles, according to the council has started using hydro-treated vegetable oil (HVO) instead of diesel to power its the high cost of the fuel was raised at a question and answer session with Silvia Dacre, cabinet member for resources, said the use of HVO would "delay the need to support capital expenditure" to replace the vehicles. "It also reduces maintenance costs, so that is the upside of continuing to use this fuel," Dacre leader Jane Scullion added that HVO fuel was also cleaner than diesel, according to the Local Democracy Reporting to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
Telegraph
11-06-2025
- General
- Telegraph
Ding-dong in the village as church bell silenced for first time in 177 years
A village church has been forced to silence its chiming bells for the first time in nearly 180 years. St Michael's in Mytholmroyd, West Yorkshire, was given a notice by the council to silence chiming between 11pm and 7am in April because of a series of complaints submitted by three disgruntled residents. The clock, which has been a village fixture for 177 years, does the full Westminster chimes with bells that chime on the quarter hour and another that strikes on the hour. It is not possible to pause the chiming at night until a costly device is fitted, so the bells have fallen silent in order to comply with the Calderdale council order. Many villagers were appalled by the decision and have set up an online petition to reinstate the bells, which they described as 'the soundtrack of our community's daily life'. Calderdale council said it had received complaints from three households about the chiming overnight. Roy Wrathall, who has been a church warden at St Michael's for nine years, said: 'We don't have the facilities to silence overnight. 'There's very much two sides to it. There's 'I'm awake in the night, there goes the clock that reassures me' and 'I can't get to sleep because I keep hearing that clock every 15 minutes'. It's not an easy one to resolve. 'Wearing the church hat – we're there for everybody so we'll do what the law says we have to do and do our best to try and please as many people as we can. 'The only way we can comply between 11pm and 7am is to stop the chimes. The clock's still going but the chimes have stopped.' 'A symbol of continuity and community' Villagers have set up a petition to reinstate the bells, which has received 1,296 signatures. The petition states: 'These bells have chimed since 1848, long before any of us were here – a symbol of continuity and community for over a century. 'My family's roots run deep in this village, and for us, as for numerous other residents, the chimes are more than bells – they are the soundtrack of our community's daily life.' The petition urges the council to reconsider their decision and find a solution that satisfies both the individuals who raised the complaint and the majority of village residents. One suggestion is to soundproof the complainants' residences. Danielle Durrans, the Calderdale council's cabinet member for public services and communities, said: 'The Council received several complaints from local residents about the noise of the church clock chime overnight, and the substantial impact it was having on their quality of life. 'We understand how much local people value heritage and the tradition of the church clock. 'However, the evidence from our investigation showed that the regularity and volume of the bell chiming, at the time of night when people are sleeping, was causing a substantial impact, so we had no option but to determine a statutory nuisance and serve an abatement notice requiring the chimes not to operate between 11pm and 7am.'
BBC News
03-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Calder Valley flood protection projects get £2m funding boost
Funding worth almost £2m will be used to better protect an area of West Yorkshire previously badly hit by flooding, a council has money would be used to strengthen existing defences and fund new flood management schemes, according to Calderdale Calder Valley has been badly affected by flooding on several occasions over the past decade, with at least 3,000 properties affected on Boxing Day 2015 a meeting on Monday, senior councillors voted to accept grants from the government and the Yorkshire Region Flood and Coastal Committees to pay for the proposed projects. The money would be used to fund work between now and 2027 focusing on shoring up current defences and investing in natural solutions to help slow the flow of water, councillors were Patient, cabinet member for climate action and housing, described the new funding as a "huge boost"."We can't do this alone. We need the resource and finance to be able to maximise the impact of flood schemes here," he said. 'Countless near-misses' Since 2012, about £133m has been secured to help protect areas of Calderdale from explained he had been a flood warden for 10 years after his own house was affected in December 2015."That was really what kickstarted me to become a member," he said."Throwing my children's homework and musical instruments into a skip really brought home the effects of extreme weather."Patient said that while the flood risk in Calderdale could never be eradicated, "we can do our best to make sure we are in the best place possible to face those challenges".Patient added that the funding boost was "especially prescient" a decade on from the Boxing Day floods, noting that there had since been "countless near-misses", and the area remained "ever more susceptible" to Swift, who was Calderdale Council leader in 2015, also said he welcomed the he stressed the need to "keep pressing" for additional government money - not just for major projects, but also for smaller, everyday work, particularly to tackle poor drainage and run-off, which he said might be linked to past mining activity in the meeting heard that communities most at risk from future flooding incidents would be prioritised for targeted said that projects would be eligible for funding once approved by the council, and could include standard flood defence work as well as "working with nature" ideas like tree planting. Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
BBC News
29-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Holmfield battery storage farm approved despite objections
Plans for a large energy storage unit in a West Yorkshire village have been approved despite hundreds of Arlington Energy plans to build the battery energy storage system (BESS) on an industrial estate in Holmfield, near Council's planning committee heard over 400 individual objections had been submitted over fire concerns, noise, traffic and fears it would have a detrimental effect on tourism and property plan was approved on the casting vote of the chair of the seven-member committee on Tuesday, to the dismay of a large number of vocal objectors present at the Halifax Town Hall meeting. Some shouted "disgraceful" and "absolutely disgusting" as the committee approved the plans by a single Moss, of the neighbouring Holdsworth House hotel and restaurant, earlier told councillors he had received a message of support from Happy Valley and Last Tango in Halifax writer Sally Wainwright."It breaks my heart to think about what you're going through – Holdsworth House deserves to be protected, not sacrificed," he said she wrote. "The 400 objections, the people here today, are not objecting - they are begging the members of this committee to keep them safe," Mr Moss added. The applicant said the BESS scheme would be capable of delivering Campbell, a principal planner with Masdar Arlington Energy, told committee members they were "excited" to work with the community to deliver the scheme."BESS plays a vital role in building a cleaner more reliable energy system," he units are being built across the UK to help balance the electricity grid, which is becoming increasingly powered by systems hold electricity generated from renewable sources such as wind turbines and solar farms. 'Holmfield hum' Mr Campbell said they were "essential" to "stabilise the grid, reduce bills, and ensure clean energy reaches homes and businesses when it is most needed".A significant concern for residents was fire risk, with objectors pointing to the site's proximity to schools and homes, according to the Local Democracy Reporting were also worried about noise, in light of the area already being subject to the unidentified "Holmfield hum" - a mystery low-level hum that some residents claim they can councillors Shane Taylor and Dan Sutherland told committee members they had a 1,500 signature petition opposing the scheme."To say that residents are concerned is an understatement," said the applicant, supported by council planning, heritage and highways officers, said the development would be impact on listed buildings, including Holdsworth House, had been subject to a detailed assessment, it added. Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
