Greenbelt community campaigners met with Philip Davies MP in Cottingley last week.
An application to build 155 houses on the land off March Cote Lane was last submitted in November 2019 but to date, no determination has been made by Bradford’s Regulatory & Appeals Committee.
“Our resolve to oppose this long outstanding application is as strong as ever,” said Stuart Eteson, the Chair of the Cottingley Greenbelt Conservation Group. “The location is completely unsuitable and officers from the Local Flood Authority and Highways agree with us that the area can not cope with the additional traffic which would be created by the housing and up to an additional 300 vehicles.”
Community campaigner Cath Bacon joined the group over a year ago after leading a successful campaign to prevent greenbelt development at Goosecote Lane, Keighley. “Our greenbelt is precious and preserves the identity of the villages which make up Bingley Rural. Urban sprawl would destroy that and I will always fight to defend it.”
The Shipley MP is a long standing outspoken objector to greenbelt development and he spent almost an hour discussing the issue with the campaign group. Philip said, “It is completely unacceptable for anyone to seek to build a housing estate on this precious part of the Greenbelt. There is no point in having land designated as Greenbelt if it is then developed. The local community in Cottingley are absolutely right to fight to save their local environment and they will have my full support every step of the way"