A GOVERNMENT planning inspector has backed Bradford Council's decision to block a housing development in Wibsey.

Paul Beshenivsky had wanted to build three terraced houses and an access road on land behind 185 Wibsey Park Avenue, but his plans were refused by a planning committee in March for over-developing the land.

A subsequent appeal said: "The decision to refuse the proposed development has been ill thought out and actually not refused by planning themselves but by Councillors who have little or no planning knowledge."

But planning inspector N McGurk supported the committee's reason for refusal.

He said: "Whilst the appellant states that he feels that the decision was made by councillors 'who have little or no planning knowledge' and who 'have not been educated to determine what is good design and what isn’t,' there is no substantive evidence before me to support these comments.

"I find that the proposed development would harm the character and appearance of the area."

The appeal was dismissed.