Newsome residents protest at Kirklees plans to build on green space

Protest at Mansion Gardens

 

Newsome residents have gathered to protest against Kirklees proposals to  build on 2 well loved green spaces.

Kirklees Council will soon be consulting on its plans to  build 32 houses on land adjacent to Jackroyd Lane in Newsome and a further 40 houses at nearby Blue Bell Hill.

Local Newsome Green Party Councillors Sue Lee- Richards, Karen Allison and Andrew Cooper are backing local residents against the Labour led Council’s plans

Councillor Sue Lee-Richards said,

“Both the land at Jackroyd Lane and at Blue Bell Hill  are valued by the local community. The Jackroyd Lane site is part of a green corridor that goes all the way up to Castle Hill and land at Blue Bell Hill and provides recreational space for people in the middle of a built up area between Newsome and Taylor Hill. The importance of access to nearby green spaces for good mental health has become really clear to so many of us through the covid lockdown. Kirklees needs to protect green land not build on it. There are plenty of brownfield sites we should develop on if we really care about our local environments.”

Councillor Karen Allison said,

“The access to both sites is very poor with narrow roads through built up residential areas towards the fields the Council wants to build on. It would mean lots more traffic on what are currently quiet estates. It will also be a nightmare for residents during the construction phase.”

Councillor Andrew Cooper said,

 “We are not NIMBYs, and we want development in the Newsome Ward. We have been actively seeking to encourage new homes on the Newsome Mills, a brownfield site, where there is good access. This makes far more sense than Kirklees proposals to build on local green fields. They should drop these plans and respect the views of local people"

Jackroyd Lane protest

Cllr Andrew Cooper's speech at the final service at St John's Church, Newsome - 5/3/23

 

It is my role today to talk about the future of St John’s

When I and my colleagues Sue Lee-Richards and Karen Allison were told of the likely closure of the church we were all of the same view and that was that it had to be saved for the community.

We have lost so much locally. Newsome Mills due to arson and the Mill ponds due to the Planning Inspectorate. So when it came to St Johns our view was ‘Not this time and not this building’

We formed a Community Benefit Society, registered with the Financial Conduct Authority, with the express aim of making the church building into a Community café and Event space. So to be clear it is not the council taking over the building but the community of Newsome itself.

We will respect the buildings past and what it has meant to generations of local people who have been christened, married and had funerals here, We recognise the history and heritage of the building and we are pleased that the Church of England will continue to have a relationship with us as a member of ‘The Newsome Centre’s’ board.

Our vision, informed by hundreds of conversations with local people is to have a warm comfortable place where the community can come together, have a cuppa, have a chat, share the ups and downs of everyday life, maybe bend the ear of your local cllr.

We want people to celebrate life events here so not weddings but wedding receptions, not funerals but wakes certainly. We want this to be a centre for community events and a small conference centre.  It could well be a space for exercise classes. You have no idea how much I am looking forward to attending my first Yoga or pilates class here.

We will need your help to realise this vision. Architects One17 have costed up the elements of the project and we have a plan. The first job is to purchase the building and the Church of England are being very reasonable but we still need to raise the cash so please support our crowdfunder if you can and come and look at our plans in the Scout Hut after this service and ask us questions. We have set a target of 150 days from now to raise the funds needed. After that we will be looking to raise the money needed for a new toilet and kitchen block and we have a plan to raise those funds also.  Then we hope to be up and running.

Today is the end of one chapter of this building’s life and an important one but we have hope, and we have a plan and we have the goodwill of the community, so there will be a future/