Following a widespread inability to find a planning application for half a track on the Calderdale planning portal – despite there being an application for the other half on the Pendle planning portal – I made my second phone call to Calderdale Council (01422 392237) and had a nice chat with another woman and then spent nearly 10 minutes listening to some quite soothing piped music while she tried to figure out what was happening.
I was told that there isn’t really a planning application – it hasn’t got that far (despite having a planning reference number apparently).
This could be good news (but might not be). It is probably good news if Calderdale has been alerted to the high-profile nature of this case and is telling the applicant to withdraw or revise their application. We’ll see. I mentioned to the helpful woman who spoke to me that she might want to keep the details of the planning officer dealing with this case near to hand as it was going to be a very contentious case if it ever comes to light.
One possibility is that Calderdale are pointing out to Walshaw Moor Estate that they cannot make this application as an ‘agricultural road’ as ‘the management of land for sporting shooting does not fall within the definition of ‘agriculture’ as it is a recreational pursuit‘ (or the hobby of shooting birds for fun as I have often described it). Pendle ought to be thinking about this aspect too.
I presume the planning application is for the track alone? Please continue to keep us informed of progress and any links to the planning portal if it eventually appears, as I know of quite a number of people likely to object – me included. I’ve spent a significant amount of my own time and money in the last couple of years helping to get Slowing the Flow Calderdale established and assisting the EA in their Catchment Management Plan for the Upper Calder. STFC have a good number of volunteers who are regularly grafting to install woody debris dams and other natural flood management measures at Hardcastle Crags near Hebden Bridge to ‘slow the flow’. Any mismanagement of the upper catchment/moorland from burning, additional drainage and track/car park building is almost certain to ‘speed the flow’ and negate that work. The financial benefits of moorland management for grouse shooting must be offset against any financial losses from increased flooding. I’ll be taking an even dimmer view if any of this is subsidised by us taxpayers and worse still, if it’s supported by NE. NE were positively obstructive in Pickering around 2010ish about any form of NFM in their SSSI as part of the STF scheme, despite evidence in a number of their own reports about the benefits of most NFM measures to habitats, fish spawning, water quality etc. That was before NFM suddenly became the best thing since sliced bread though!