Housing plans could see over 200 homes built on Green Belt land in Ilkley prone to flooding

The Local Plan document distributes new housing allocations between council wards and identifies greenfield and brownfield sites that are suitable for development before 2038.

The housing target is for 1,700 new units to be built each year – a reduction on the pre-2019 figure of 2,476 – but 20 per cent of this number can be built on the Green Belt.

In the spa town of Ilkley, two sites have been put forward – Ben Rhydding Drive/Wheatley Grove (130 units) and pasture land off Coutances Way in Ben Rhydding, which could accommodate 155 new homes. The latter is owned by Bradford Council.

Coun Anne Hawkesworth (Independent) says any development on the land would encourage urban sprawl and reduce the gap between the villages of Burley-in-Wharfedale and Ben Rhydding.

As the land is close to the River Wharfe, she also believes it to be part of a natural flood plain that makes it unsuitable for building.

Coun Hawkesworth said: “The Green Belt fields as you approach the Ben Rhydding entrance are once more under threat. They have allocated 155 houses for one of the most scenic sites possible – it’s the thin end of a wedge.

“The gap between the two communities of Burley and Ben Rhydding is a concern, as Burley is allocated as ‘urban extension’, meaning their boundary would move along the valley, risking eventual ribbon development.”

Coun Hawkesworth believes a development proposal for the field was rejected over 20 years ago.

“It is partially in the flood plain and it is covered with springs. Building there would narrow the gap between Burley and Ben Rhydding. The site is a gateway entrance to Ilkley and Ben Rhydding which has landscape value for visitors.”

Burley-in-Wharfedale also has a large allocation, with a site at Sun Lane identified for 500 homes and Scalebor House for a further 110.

Bradford Council has changed the designation of a former Royal Mail site in the city centre that was previously earmarked for leisure use. It is now a housing site with potential for 300 homes. Another mill conversion has been mooted at Beehive Mills, which has space for 200 units.

House-hunters in desirable Saltaire will be buoyed by the news that a site close to the World Heritage Site is likely to be built on in the next few years. The former HMRC tax offices on Salts Mill Road are soon to be vacated and staff relocated to a new hub in Leeds. The land has been allocated for up to 266 new houses. Other allocations for the Shipley ward include 164 homes off Glenview Drive in Nab Wood.

In sought-after Bingley, a large site on Sty Lane already has outline permission for 440 homes, and the Coolgardie agricultural land on Keighley Road could accommodate 135.

In Keighley, planners support two brownfield conversions near the railway station – former council flats on Winfield Drive and a former primary school on Braithwaite Avenue.

Coun Hawkesworth added: “Sadly under the current lockdown and restrictions on life important items such as this which would normally have full public consultation in a wider areas.

“It is not possible currently and so there is the danger of permissions being just nodded through without full public scrutiny. It could be said that democracy is one of the Covid casualties.”