A “supergroup” of green space campaigners will help communities in their fight against unwanted developments, according to campaign groups.

The Yorkshire Greenspace Alliance has been formed from several groups, including Wharfedale and Airedale Review Development, the Campaign to Protect Rural England and Kirklees Community Action Network, in response to “predatory” actions of developers.

They want an end to building on green fields, demand that previously developed land is used first, and want communities to have a bigger say in developments.

The group formed at a meeting late last month, and includes smaller groups set up to fight individual campaigns, as well as these larger groups.

YGA co-founder Charles Tunbridge, of CPRE West Yorkshire, said: “We've taken this important step to create a pan-Yorkshire alliance because we strongly believe that by working together – sharing knowledge, expertise and resources – we will collectively have a much stronger influence on planning issues at a local level.

“We hope that other groups, who share our aims, will also be inspired to join us.”

Dr Steve Ellams is from the Menston Action Group, who were set up to fight housing developments on land of Bingley Road and Derry Hill in the village. He thinks that with the backing of other, like minded groups, communities would have more clout when taking on big name developers.

He said: “This looks like quite a good idea, it is bringing together all these different groups for whom planning is a major issue.”

Terry Brown helped set up the Greenhill Action Group to fight plans for houses in Micklethwaite, and said his group would have really benefited from a coalition like this when they started. He said: “There is strength in numbers if all these groups get together. Together we are stronger than any individual group – as the old adage goes, ‘united we stand.’”

He also thinks that the groups will be a fountain of experience that other smaller groups can use, adding: “When we started, we didn’t know what we were doing.”