DEVELOPERS are trying to gain permission to build 800 homes east of Otley.

Up to 550 new properties were already earmarked for fields on the town's eastern edge under Leeds City Council's (LCC) proposed Site Allocations Plan (SAP).

But now Persimmon Homes and Barratt David Wilson Homes have suggested increasing the capacity by another 250 dwellings.

Ward councillors have attacked the move, proposed by council officers at a recent Development Plan Panel (DPP) meeting, as "totally unacceptable".

Cllr Colin Campbell (Lib Dem, Otley and Yeadon), who immediately challenged the proposal, has now been told the 550-home limit will stay – for now.

He said: "I am very concerned that, at the last minute and without any public consultation, LCC was proposing to increase the total number of houses on the East of Otley site from 550 to 800.

"This could only be achieved by reducing the area available for employment, despite the council agreeing there is insufficient employment land in the area, or by reducing the size and quality of the houses to be built, which is contrary to the local view that, if we have to have housebuilding, it should be a bespoke development with a range of properties to reflect the character and needs of Otley.

"Cynics would say this is simply a mechanism for increasing the developers' return on the site.

"I am happy I managed to persuade the rest of the panel not to support the increase, but I am concerned the proposals may reappear as part of the public inquiry on the Local Development Framework."

Cllr Ryk Downes (Lib Dem, Otley and Yeadon) added: "Whilst I don't support building houses there in first place, to build 800 would be totally unacceptable and should be resisted.

"I remain unconvinced that Otley will receive the required infrastructure, schools, roads, doctors, dentists, public transport and so on to cope with such a large increase."

A paper produced for the July 19 DPP meeting stated: "At this stage, officers consider that further work needs to be undertaken to fully assess the proposal and establish whether the capacity can increase."

But members of the Otley campaign pushing for 'appropriate and sustainable' development in the town remain concerned.

A spokesman said: "Even if the DPP does not agree to increase the capacity prior to the SAP inspector’s review in 2017, the developers' representatives can be expected to raise this during the public inquiry.

"One of the wider consequences of such an increase will be to shift further the [unknown] 'congestion cost-benefit' for Otley of the relief road, plus the additional traffic generated by the East of Otley development.

"This underlines the pressing need for an independent Traffic Impact Assessment into the consequences of the SAP for Otley."

A 'signed-off' relief road is one of the conditions that has to be met, under a previous planning decision, before a developer can proceed with major housing on the site.

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