Homes plan protesters demand more time to fight giant scheme

A bid to build 475 homes north of Laythorpe Farm, Sty Lane, Micklethwaite, Bingley, has led to a wave of opposition.

Redrow Homes (Yorkshire) Ltd and Bellway Homes Ltd have submitted a planning application for the dwellings as well as a new swing bridge over the Leeds and Liverpool canal and provision of new accesses off Sty Lane and Micklethwaite Lane, access off Fairfax Road and off-site highway improvements.

Greenhill Action Group, which fought off efforts to build on the site in 1993, says the impending local elections and a recent problem with Bradford Council's website are hindering efforts to learn more about the proposal.

The group's chairman Terry Brown, is calling for the application to be withdrawn and resubmitted after the local election.

Mr Brown said: "The planning application has a 16-week period (in which) to be determined. That 16 weeks is up on June 23. We have the local elections coming up so no-one can talk about anything in the six weeks before that. The developers have all the information but we are getting it in dribs and drabs."

Mr Brown has written to Bradford Council chief executive Tony Reeves requesting that the planning application be deferred until after the local elections.

He claims that the council's website was unusable from March 3 to 20, making it impossible for the public to download the large volume of documents attached to the planning application.

He also says that it took over three months to get confirmation that the group could use an online petition and that conflicting information had been given about the closing dates for representations to be received about the plan.

In his letter to Mr Reeves, Mr Brown said there would be "no public meeting until May 12" and called for the application to be deferred until after the local elections "when the community can be correctly informed and have the opportunity to make well considered, valid representations regarding this application."

He said that "the planning application determination period falls during the local elections and Neighbourhood Forums are barred from arranging a meeting during the six-week period prior to the local elections.

"I believe dispensation was requested and refused. Surely there is a moral duty of fairness to the public and electorate of Bradford."

Opponents of the scheme are worried about traffic access, the volume of traffic which will be generated, and the loss of green space.

Peter Bridgman, Bradford Council's development manager, said the council has no legal power to demand that the applicant withdraw the planning application.

He added: "Our legal duty is to publicise the application to give people the opportunity to comment and this has been done.

"The earliest the application will be discussed by a planning panel is May 25 and people have until then to make comments.

"People can call into Shipley Town Hall and examine the plans and there will be a drop-in session on April 7 at Bingley Arts Centre between 10am and midday.

"There is also a special Neighbourhood Forum at Bingley Grammar School on May 11 at 7pm specifically on this subject.

"Unfortunately there have been a few glitches due to a new website which we are trying to rectify as soon as possible."