‘Our village is already saturated’: Residents launch campaign to stop housing development in Crofton village

People living in Crofton have been backed by their MP in a fight to stop 116 homes being built on a field in Crofton.

Residents say the village is already ‘saturated’ due to a spate of new build developments.

The Stop Crofton Developments group claim the latest proposal by Harron Homes will put further strain on local infrastructure.

The company has submitted an application to Wakefield Council to build 27 three-bedroom properties, 66 four-bedroom properties and 23 two-bedroom affordable homes on land off Santingley Lane.

More than 260 people have so far objected to the plans, with people claiming there is already a shortage of schools, GP surgeries and dentists in the village.

Objectors also say that local roads already struggle to cope with increased traffic.

One objection states: “The infrastructure of our village is already saturated. The schools and medical centre are overflowing.

“The roads are chaos at the best of times but there is nothing in place by Wakefield Council to address these issues.

“All I see is a greedy council desperate to sell off land to make money and damage the environment further.”

Kate Wray, of Stop Crofton Developments, said: “In the 23 years I have lived in Crofton I have seen it grow beyond its capabilities.

“We have a doctor’s surgery that is impossible to get an appointment at, our dentist has a four-year waiting list and schools are full to the brim.

“Traffic throughout the village is atrocious at peak times. Accidents regularly happen at a time when school children are about.”

Concerns have also been raised that wildlife habits continue to be destroyed.

Hemsworth MP Jon Trickett has backed objectors.

Last week, the Labour MP accused the government of “pouring cement and tarmac over Yorkshire’s green and pleasant land” during a debate in parliament.

Mr Trickett referred to a Campaign for the Protection of Rural England (CPRE) report, which found that there are over 1.2m homes that could be built on brownfield land across the country.

He said: “In Yorkshire there are tens of thousands of families desperate for affordable housing.

“The CPRE says there are potentially 115,000 potential brownfield sites in our county alone.

“Tens of thousands more sites (across the country) have been land banked – planning consents already given for housing.

“Yet there is executive housing popping up like mushrooms in a forcing shed all over my constituency on greenbelt.”

A spokesperson for Harron Homes Yorkshire said, “During this planning process we have been, and will continue to work closely with, Wakefield Council to ensure our development plans are in line with its vision for the Crofton area as part of the emerging local plan.

“We are committed to sculpting an appropriate housing plan that takes into consideration the local housing needs while upholding the highest building standards.

“Community is at the core of Harron Homes’ ethos, which is why the development will contribute towards local facilities and infrastructure through the council’s community infrastructure levy.”