With a new Cycling Strategy for Calderdale on the way put forward at a meeting of Calderdale Councils Cabinet held on Monday 3rd April 2017. Could this be the right time to examine what happened to the planned extension of the Hebble Trail?
On the 12th September 2012 the Council launched a press release outlining how a new cycle way that runs parallel to the A629 was opened by “Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport Norman Baker” [1]. This press release outlined future/aspirational plans in North Halifax and how Local Sustainable Transport Funding that funded this new cycle way will be used to fund improvements to the Hebble Trail Cycle Way “at the southern end, to provide a ramped underpass avoiding the busy A629” and at “the northern end of the trail, to construct the final leg to Halifax Station and into the town centre”. A planning application (12/00844/FUL) for the Southern improvements was submitted in July 2012 and later approved in October that year. Subsequently carried out and completed unlike the Northern end improvements, for which were approved on the 16th August 2013 under planning application (13/00577/FUL) but never carried out.
This path was to run from Gaukroger Lane across a new bridge spanning Sedburgh Road, around the back of B&M Bargains over Water Lane via a disused railway bridge, adjacent to the railway line before heading through the Eureka Car Park and onto Halifax railway station. One possible reason why this path never came to fruition is that land occupied by B&M bargains, required for this scheme was unobtainable for a reasonable sum, thus requiring the expensive and potentially unjustifiable process of using Compulsory Purchase Powers that may be financially un-viable. However at the public engagement session of the ‘Halifax Town Centre Project’ held on the 23rd May 2015 at the Halifax Minster I was informed by an officer of Calderdale Council, that this scheme conflicted with the owners plans for the B&M site. However a planning application for this site was submitted around two years earlier on the 11th April 2011 under application (11/00423/FUL) outlining plans that include…
“Demolition of existing greenhouse, external alterations including sub-division of existing building, raising of the roof, re-cladding and construction of new entrance features, improvements to vehicular and pedestrian access, and reconfiguration of the car park and servicing arrangements”
From cross referencing both applications it is hard to see how these plans would conflict preventing the construction of this Cycleway. However it has since transpired that the real reason may have something to do with the abandonment of Halifax’s New Bypass as discussed by my blog on the 25th September 2016. [2] According to the project and programme mandate for the ‘A629 – Halifax Town Centre / Eastern relief road / define town centre masterplan’ [3] this was to include…
- “New town centre bypass compromising a dual carriageway orbital link through to New Bank interchange”
- “New orbital link road signal junction at midpoint to access development sites to east of town centre”
- “Removal of redundant bridge constricting access to Water Lane Development Zone”
The abandonment of this bypass in order to construct a new multistory car park upon what is now a nature reserve, but what used to be the site of the world famous Mackintosh’s before being taken over by Nestle, has increased the number of bridges to be removed from 1 to a total of 4 in order to facilitate “the planned amendments to the Nestle site” [4]. The removal of the fourth bridge, that is directly adjacent to the railway line was the bridge that was originally to carry the northern extension of the Hebble Trail over Water Lane, will provide an additional half a meter of clearance (to be precise approximately 0.596 m) according to the Halifax Station Gateway Plan [5]. This will allow single and double deck trailers to access the Nestle site from the South and the closure and redevelopment of site entrance and nature reserve to the North.
[2] https://michaelbradleysblog.wordpress.com/2016/09/25/has-halifaxs-new-bypass-been-abandoned/
[3] https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/wy_transport_fund_a629_halifax_t#incoming-789556
[4] http://www.westyorks-ca.gov.uk/your-ca/west-yorkshire-york-investment/archive/ Item 8 / PDF Page 26
[5] https://www.calderdale.gov.uk/council/councillors/councilmeetings/results.jsp?keywords=station+gateway&p_SQ_ID=5006346&phrase=N&type=agenda&offset=0&id=192368263 / PDF Page 47
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The Yorkshire Blogger 
Michael – didn’t the trail used to start at Water Lane and go beside the route of the canal to Phoebe mills? Or did I dream that?
Thanks
David
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