Residents of a housing association complex for older people will have to be rehomed if plans to demolish and rebuild the Burley-in-Wharfedale development get the go-ahead.
Anchor Homes wants to knock down the existing flats and bungalows on Hanover Gardens, which are more than 50 years old, and replace them with modern housing.
Anchor Homes said if their plans – which they are submitting in March – get the green light, existing residents will have to be rehomed “either on a temporary basis or permanently” while the work is carried out.
But they said all residents will have the opportunity to return to the new development “should they wish to”.
A drop-in meeting was held for the community by Anchor Homes last month to share its proposals with the community. Among those who attended was Conservative Councillor Bob Felstead (Wharfedale), who had been contacted by concerned residents.
Councillor Felstead called for the displaced residents to be given high priority on housing lists and voiced worry that not everybody might be able to afford to return to Hanover Gardens. He said:
Hanover Gardens, built in 1968 is, according to Anchor Homes, long overdue an upgrade to properties. Obviously, residents of social housing are to be displaced in the short term, and whilst provision is being made to relocate residents, I believe that they need to be assigned high-priority on housing lists – we simply can’t ignore this issue. Whilst Anchor Homes have said that they can return upon completion, I have to wonder whether there is likely to be an increase in monthly rent which would effectively rule out that return for many existing residents.
Councillor Felstead added that while he had no objections to the new development in principle he was concerned about the impact on local infrastructure. He said:
There’s obviously going to be an impact on highways and these are likely to be addressed in S106 and S278 agreements, let’s see.”
“Equally, there’s likely to be an impact on medical facilities at Grange Park depending upon occupancy of the new site. Having previously fought hard for three-years to secure CIL funding at Grange Park surgery from Bradford Council, I wonder how this might affect their patient numbers in the mid-term.”
“The bigger issue here, is that this development will NOT provide Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) to a growing ‘town’.”
Challenging party politics.
What’s interesting is that there’s no comment from our Labour ward councillor, it seems odd that the demographic that’s traditionally represented by Labour, has not yet seen any input or support in this matter. Irrespective of party politics, Councillor Felstead says that he will continue to represent people in Wharfedale to ensure that they are supported. He says;
This is what ward councillors are supposed to do, as opposed to towing the party line as we have already seen at Ilkley HWRC. I have, and will remain a resident’s representative, even if that requires opposing party political beliefs. I have voted against my own party on 5 occasions over the past 3-years, simply because I’ve been elected to represent public opinion, how many others do that?