RESIDENTS are being urged to attend a meeting about a 74 home scheme for a greenfield site in Otley.

The hillside fields behind Rumplecroft and Meagill Rise, on the Weston Estate, have long been earmarked for new housing - despite strong local opposition.

A 100 home development for the land was in the pipeline from The Home Group until they withdrew their proposal in January.

Now housing association Yorkshire Housing wants to build a mixture of two, three and four bedroom properties, plus some affordable homes, on the plot.

A public consultation on the plans will be held at Otley Social Club, on Hollins Gate, at 6.30pm on Tuesday, September 27.

Councillor Sandy Lay (Lib Dem, Otley & Yeadon) is hoping for a big turnout.

He said: "I recently asked for residents' views on the challenges facing Otley and the response overwhelmingly highlighted traffic congestion and lack of access to fundamental services, such as dentists and doctors, as the big issues facing the town.

"One way for the developers to better understand residents' concerns would be for residents to attend the consultation and express their views."

Councillor Colin Campbell (Lib Dem, Otley & Yeadon) added: "The developer is proposing to use two entrances to the site, one from Meagill Rise and a second from St David's Road.

"Residents are already concerned about traffic on these roads and extra cars will only make things worse."

Campaigners in the area argue that brownfield - previously developed - parts of town should be used first before green sites are considered.

They have also pointed out that the steep land behind Rumplecroft has drainage issues, as demonstrated last winter when run-off from the hills came very close to flooding properties on Meagill Rise.

Concerns about the likely knock-on effects of new housing, including on traffic congestion along Weston Lane and its junction with Newall Carr Road, have also been raised.

The Rumplecroft site has been listed as 'suitable for future development' in the current draft of Leeds City Council's Site Allocations Plan.

The plan identifies areas deemed suitable for development up until 2028, with Otley currently in line to get more than 1,300 new homes.