Approval recommended for commercial and car sales development

Plans for a mixed-use development comprising commercial and car sales units on a site in West Yorkshire are recommended for approval later this week (22 June 2023).A full planning application was submitted to Wakefield Council earlier this year for a development on land off Colorado Way in Castleford.Planning permission is sought for the construction of nine commercial units suitable for industrial, storage and distribution and ancillary office uses (B2, B8 and E(g)), and two car sales buildings.In total, about 21,500 sq ft of new industrial and commercial space would be created, with 66 parking spaces also proposed.A decision on a similar application for commercial and car sales units was deferred at a meeting in March 2023 due to concerns over the height of the proposed buildings. The new application includes a reduction in the scale and footprint of the development to address the concerns.The revised application will go before the council’s planning and highways committee on 22 June and is recommended for approval, subject to conditions and the signing of a legal agreement, in an officer’s report prepared for the meeting.The report said: “The proposed development will have a small-scale impact with regard to providing new jobs and investment in the district and will assist in meeting the council’s wider objectives to regenerate areas and provide jobs and growth for the district.”The proposed development is considered to be acceptable in principle and, subject to the imposition of planning conditions, there are considered to be no technical reasons to withhold planning permission.”The original application is also on the agenda for the meeting following an appeal by the agent against its non-determination. The council is required to advise the Planning Inspectorate of the decision that members would have made on the proposal.Conditional approval is also recommended for this application.