A four-year battle to get village green status for a field in Burley-in-Wharfedale has failed - because of one case of hay-making.

But campaigners have already launched a new attempt to preserve Burley House Field for future generations.

Bradford Council's licensing panel has backed an inspector's recommendation that the village green bid should be refused because of the alleged hay making in 1983.

But following the decision campaigners revealed they had planned for possible refusal - and had submitted a revised application even before the first had officially been turned down.

This week John Gundry, who has led the campaign, said: "The decision wasn't at all unexpected. We had about one chance in ten but we felt we had to take it."

And he revealed that a second application had been submitted even before the decision had been made on the first.

He said the second application was timed deliberately to prevent Bradford council putting up signs which could legally affect the field's status as recreational land.

He said: "We had to get it in before they put notices up at the field indicating that use of the field was permissive - or under their permission. We put it in protectively."

To get village green status for the land local people had to show that it had been used for recreation for the past 20 years.

At a public inquiry in December villagers rallied round to produce photographic evidence to support the claims of the Community Council.

But the inspector Vivien Chapman recommended refusal after hearing evidence of hay making in 1983.

Now the community council, which does not accept the hay making claims, is hoping to avoid the problem with their new application which covers the period 1984 to 2004.

Mr Gundry said: "We are very disappointed but we have another application and we shall prove there was no haymaking for 20 years.

"If it becomes a village green it preserves the land for ever. Only an Act of Parliament can alter it."

He said the application would now be advertised and Bradford council was expected to register an objection.

But it is not anticipated that the issue will go to public inquiry again. Each side will make representations to the inspector who will decide between them.

Mr Gundry said a decision would probably be made within six months.

Half of the field has already been earmarked for development but the community council wanted to see Village Green status given to the other half.

After the committee's rejection Burley resident Fred Benjamin, said: "There is all this talk about fat children and children having nowhere to play. Areas like these, which are accessible without a car are becoming rarer and rarer.

"It is so important for children to have somewhere to play safely without parental control."

The campaigners want the land protected after it was allocated for residential use in the Unitary Development Plan which states what land can be used for across the district.