THE PUBLIC are being urged to object to proposals to build on allotments in Guiseley.

The call is being made by Guiseley and Rawdon councillor, Graham Latty, in the wake of a consultation event looking at plans for 46 houses on Silverdale allotments.

Cllr Latty spoke out about the scheme after attending the consultation last week, organised by developers Stonebridge Homes.

He said people had the mistaken impression the development was a done deal, but he stressed no application had been lodged with Leeds City Council at this stage and he branded the consultation "purely speculative".

Cllr Latty said: "At that event – and I was there for over three hours – I did not speak to one person who was happy at the prospect of more houses.

"They were even less happy at the thought of the extra traffic that would be generated and that would have to leave Silverdale along the avenue – a very narrow road for the last couple of hundred yards to the junction with Park Road, probably already the most congested road in Guiseley, and a junction that is a nightmare at peak times.

"That was the biggest concern, but it did not obscure the worries about school places, employment and the perennial problem with a shortage of medical and dental provision."

Coun Latty added: "This will go before an inspector some time next year, and there is no absolute guarantee he will give it the go-ahead. These builders are trying to preempt the process and get in ahead of the field and, under present planning rules, will seek permission to develop the whole site.

"I urge everyone who cares about Guiseley to write a letter or e-mail of objection, as and when there is an application to object to. This will be some time in June, I am led to believe."

Speaking before the consultation one allotment holder, Roger Davis, said: "The site is not without its existing problems, the major one being there is only one access road to the whole of the Silverdale/Branson estate, which is already overloaded with parking and cars negotiating access along the narrow road.

"More houses obliged to use this road will lead to a major bottleneck and increase the already dangerous situation for residents, with respect to emergency vehicles. The adjacent Park Road is already at a standstill at busy weekends, and traffic soon forms queues along these roads."

l See this week's letters on pages 12 and 13 for more comment on this story