Bids for two village greens look likely to fail

Bids to turn two areas of land in Bradford into village greens have failed to attract council officers’ backing.

Bradford Council has been asked to register land known as “Back Field”, Larch Hill Crescent, in Odsal and two areas of land at Cote Lane in Allerton as town or village greens.

But members of the local authority’s Miscellaneous Licences Panel will be advised to reject both applications when they meet in the city on Thursday.

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The land at Back Field is enclosed by the back gardens of a number of homes in Larch Hill Crescent and is understood to be left over by the developer of the surrounding houses in the late 1950s.

According to a report to be considered by councillors, the site was originally intended for the construction of garages but was left undeveloped when the developer went into receivership.

The council received four letters of objection to the proposal – all from residents of Larch Hill Crescent.

An inspector concluded the council should reject the bid following a public inquiry last year but councillors still have the power to grant the application.

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However, the report to be considered by the panel says: “The conclusion can only be that whilst historically bonfires have been held on the site and children have played on it in the past, it is clear that these activities fell away four to five years ago.

“Since then children may have occasionally ventured on the site but such random acts of trespass would not present the character or frequency of use associated with a community assertion of its right to use the land for recreational purposes.”

Bradford Council and social landlord Incommunities both lodged objections to the bid to register two irregular shaped areas of land at Cote Lane in Allerton as a town or village green.

Following a public inquiry earlier this year, an inspector recommended the council to reject the application.