John Greenwood

Wellholme Park in Brighouse has reopened after three years of work as part of Calderdale’s £31 million flood alleviation scheme. The redesigned park includes two flood-storage areas capable of holding nearly 9,000 cubic metres of water, helping protect 414 properties, alongside improved habitats, planting and recreational facilities. Calderdale Council and the Environment Agency report strong public support, while visitors have been warned against lighting fires during the unusually dry summer.

Calderdale College is partnering with Halifax’s Dean Clough complex to convert vacant third-floor office space in D Mill into art studios, administrative offices and toilets. The approved plans will accommodate around 50 to 60 students and ten staff members. Existing 20th-century partitions and finishes will be removed to expose the historic structure, while new partitions will avoid the building’s columns. Conservation officers confirmed that no alterations to the historic fabric are required.

The turret of the Grade I-listed Clock House at Kirklees Hall near Brighouse is allowing significant water ingress, threatening damage to the historic roof below. Kirklees Hall Management Ltd has applied to Calderdale Council for listed-building consent for conservation-led repairs, including lifting and reinstating existing stone slates, replacing defective materials like for like, and installing compliant leadwork. The proposed work is intended to preserve the building using traditional materials and established conservation practices.

Planning officers refused permission in principle for up to nine homes on land north of Orchard House at Moor Bottom Lane, Greetland, because the Green Belt site was considered unsuitable and the application did not demonstrate very special circumstances outweighing the harm. JS Planning Consultants argued the site was grey belt, well contained and needed to help address Calderdale’s housing land shortfall. Residents raised concerns about highway safety, infrastructure capacity, drainage and effects on the rural character of the lane, although highways officers said a safe access could be achieved.

Calderdale Council is considering investing in improved mobile CCTV systems to help identify and prosecute fly-tipping offenders. Councillor Ashley Evans said stronger surveillance was needed to catch culprits and reduce the cost of clearing illegally dumped waste. Cabinet member Paul Hawkaluk confirmed that the council already uses CCTV, prosecutes offenders and seizes vehicles, but said existing systems are relatively cheap and ineffective; more capable equipment is being actively assessed. The council’s aim is to increase prosecutions rather than simply remove dumped waste.

A blue plaque has been unveiled at Mill House, Dean Clough, Halifax, commemorating Martha Crossley (1775–1854). Rising from domestic service, Crossley helped establish the carpet business that became Crossley’s Carpets, working alongside her husband John and managing operations while also stitching carpets herself. Her belief that prosperity should benefit the wider community inspired the Crossley family’s philanthropic contributions, including People’s Park, Halifax Town Hall, almshouses and a school. Halifax Civic Trust, descendants of the Crossley family and local civic representatives said the plaque restores recognition to her central role in Halifax’s industrial and social history.