A local councillor has demanded Kirklees Council refuse plans for an Amazon Warehouse after a transport plan revealed that waiting HGVs could be directed on to congested roads in Bradford.
Agents acting on behalf of the developer have submitted a Transport Assessment to demonstrate what would happen if HGVs arrived too early at the site.
They say that “if an HGV arrives too early / late or there is not sufficient space … , drivers will be sent to a local HGV stop” - including a Texaco petrol station on Tong Street.
Councillor Edwards said, “Tong Street has repeatedly been highlighted by Bradford Council as an area with illegal levels of air pollution. As ward councillors, we are working hard to tackle this problem but here we have Amazon putting their profits before the health of local people.
“The Denbrook Service Station is only small and there is no space for HGVs to be waiting around, so this will be a wasted journey - one that adds to congestion on Tong Street.
“Not only will this lead to additional traffic on Tong Street but could result in HGVs trying to use roads like Mill Carr Hill Road and Cliff Hollin Lane which are just not designed for large vehicles.”
Councillor Matt Edwards, who visited the proposed site in Scholes earlier this year in his capacity as National Transport spokesperson for the Green Party, has already expressed opposition to the plans.
At the time he said, “Anyone who uses Chain Bar will know that roads are already at capacity and what Amazon are proposing will bring an additional 44 trucks an hour – one every 81 seconds!
“In addition, there is no consideration whatsoever for providing any public transport or useful active travel measures to the people who will be working here. It is an all-around bad proposal and one that takes far more from the community than it will give back.
“So much about this just doesn’t add up.”
The application to Kirklees Council is currently the subject of a formal intervention by National Highways, which has called for a critical traffic assessment to be fully completed before a decision is made.
