Village’s Green Belt fight is backed by planners

PLANNING CHIEFS have recommended councillors today refuse an application to build 140 homes on Green Belt land in north Leeds – marking the end of the latest round in a hard-fought battle by campaigners.

The North and East Leeds Plans Panel will today decide the fate of an outline planning application by the Bramham Park Estate and Sandby (Bardsey) Ltd to build 140 homes on Green Belt land in Bardsey, off Wetherby Road.

The applicants say more than £10m is needed by the estate to repair heritage buildings – an issue they argued was a “special circumstance” case for building on Green Belt land. But in a report to the panel, planning officers today recommended the plan be refused, saying those circumstances did not justify the development.

The report says the 140 houses “would have a detrimental and irreversible impact on its openness and character” and concluded “the harm to the Green Belt is significant and is not outweighed by the special regard to the desirability of preserving the heritage assets, and thus, [the plan is] recommended for refusal”.

The report has been welcomed by the Bardsey Action Group which was set up to protect the Green Belt land.

Tim Gittins, of the group, said: “We are pleased. We hope the members will follow the officers’ recommendation.”

A spokesperson for the Bramham Park Estate said: “We are naturally disappointed that the committee report recommends refusal of this application, but we hope that members will recognise that the ‘very special circumstances’ have been demonstrated with this application and the fine balance referred to in the committee report should tip towards the funding of the internationally important heritage restoration on Bramham Park Estate.”