Residents of a village on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales have described plans for a new housing development as a “land grab” that would hinder its heritage and natural beauty.
Developer Chartford Homes has submitted a planning application to Bradford Council for 55 homes on a 3.12-hectare green-belt site in Addingham.
District councillors, parish councillors and residents opposing the development say the plans would encourage “urban sprawl”, with more than 160 attending an extraordinary parish council meeting about the proposals on Monday.
Bradford councillor Jane Sellers says residents are “very shocked” and there has been no formal consultation.
“This is a beautiful vista. It’s the green gateway into a village, a village that’s much loved by its residents,” she says.
“It’s essential that development should work with a village in consultation and then the result is more agreeable, whereas this is a land grab, as I see it.”
The view is a large green field between Main Street and the A65 bypass, which runs between Skipton and Ilkley.
It is part of the village’s conservation area and is rumoured to contain remnants of Anglo-Saxon farms.
“That view has been unchanged for hundreds of years and these houses here, there will be impact on the enjoyment of the cricket club, nearby neighbours, the noise, the dust,” says Sellers.
Gill Battarbee, chair of Addingham Civic Society, says she is “100% against” the proposals and “ample sites around the village” have already been identified as suitable for new homes.
“Addingham is one of the gateways to the Dales and, that view as you come through, I know it sounds really wishy-washy but it is crucial,” she says.
“We have sites that will accommodate them without taking one of those heritage sites.”
