Four new units set for Birstall retail park

Planners have defied health and safety experts to add four new retail units to the Centre 27 Business Park at Birstall.
Birstall retail parkBirstall retail park
Birstall retail park

They said the financial benefits attached to the multi-million pound project outweighed potential health risks.

The four units will be built at Bankwood Way on a now vacant site previously occupied by eight office blocks.

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However it is close to the Leeds depot of Tennants Distribution Ltd, a low-tier COMAH (Control of Major Accident Hazards) site that has bulk storage for acids and chemicals.

It is considered to be a “hazardous installation”.

The development area is within the middle and outer zone of the COMAH site, with the majority being in the middle zone.

That led the Health and Safety Executive to advise that there were

sufficient reasons, on safety grounds, for advising against the

granting of planning permission in this case.

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Clr Liz Smaje (Con, Birstall and Birkenshaw) said she had “grave concerns” that the council was looking to override the HSE’s advice.

And she warned that rising levels of traffic would further impact on already congested roads, principally the A62.

Her comments were echoed by party colleague Clr Donald Firth (Con, Holme Valley South).

“The Health and Safety Executive do not say things just for the sake of saying things. If there is something wrong or they’re not happy then we should follow that line.

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“I would not want to put my name to anything that the Health and Safety Executive was against to find out in later years that something happened.

“I am very wary of this.”

In backing the plan Clr Carole Pattison said half of the existing retail park was in the middle of the hazardous zone, as were restaurants and eateries.

“There’s already quite a lot of activity going on in that zone. I am personally prepared to override the HSE advice on this because the advantages do outweigh it.”