The Alternative to Sainsburys in Hebden Bridge

Monday, 8 September 2014

According to Bob Deacon, chair of the Hebden Bridge Partnership, speaking to the HebWeb in a personal capacity, there is an alternative imaginative scheme for the improvement of the whole of the Valley Road site. "The whole area, the current car park owned by Calderdale, the vacant Fire Station site and the ugly Telephone building (which is only fit for demolition) could be redeveloped to create a better car park (a small well designed multi story or underground), affordable housing (some of the land being transferred to the new Calder Valley Community Land Trust), an open space onto which the local café's could spill and small shop or artists' units.

"If the planning committee confirm the planning officer's timid recommendation to bow down to the powerful Sainsbury business then all this will be lost. It won't be the end of the world but it will be a sad day for Hebden Bridge. It will have lost some of its special character. It will also make nonsense of the new Localism Act which HRTC is now planning to use to develop an imaginative Neighbourhood Plan."

Bob Deacon is urging the 500 signatories to letters of objection to to turn up at 7pm. on Tuesday 16th at the Town Hall in Halifax and shout their opposition. "This might just influence the required majority of councillors to ignore their timid officer and support the views of those who live here. Once rejected then the Hebden Bridge Partnership, the Town Council, Calderdale Council and the developers can get round a table and start being creative."