Monday, 1 February 2016

Green Councillor backs resident calls to protect the Green Belt




 Kirkburton Green Party Councillor Robert Barraclough has backed the calls of many residents to preserve the Green Belt.  The Green Councillor from Farnley Tyas has come out against calls by Farnley Estates to release more Green Belt for Housing Development to support their proposed Country Park.

Councillor Barraclough said

“As the Draft Kirklees Local Plan consultation ends it is now time to reflect and consider the responses many local people have made through this process. I have spoken to a lot of local people as individuals, responded to emails and phone calls, attended community meetings and have put information about the Local Plan through many local letterboxes. I have got a very clear picture of local feelings and concerns.

One of the main concerns has been the proposal by Farnley Estates to release of Greenbelt land to the Farnley Country Park. Farnley Estates have been actively promoting the concept and this has led to a wide ranging and often heated debate. At this point and looking at the correspondence I have received I feel that there needs to to be much more detail in the proposal before it can be assessed thoroughly.

The proposal requires the release of sensitive areas of Green Belt for housing which I would not be able to support especially as in the draft plan almost all of the proposed sites have been rejected.

In fact the strength of response brings into question whether or not the Green Belt allocation for this proposal should appear in the plan at all. The  wording in the  Draft Local Plan could be reinterpreted over the course of the plan and this is a genuine concern. I will be asking Officers to review this inclusion with a view to removal or substantially tighter drafting.

Since the start of the consultation period I have consistently recommended to concerned residents that the best course of action was to support the rejected sites option, this is what many have done and a course of action that I still agree with.”

Contact –Cllr Robert Barraclough Email - robertw.barraclough@kirklees.gov.uk  Mobile - 07778 315577

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