A SECOND public inquiry will be held into a bitterly contested plan to build hundreds of new homes in the district.

Secretary of State Eric Pickles, a former leader of Bradford Council, has called-in Bellway and Redrow Homes application to build 440 homes at Sty Lane, Micklethwaite, meaning he will get the final say on it.

The move has delighted campaigners who have staunchly fought the plan, which was approved earlier this year by Bradford Council.

Shipley MP Philip Davies said he was “absolutely delighted” by the latest development in the five year wrangle.

The application was first made in 2009 and has previously been dismissed by Mr Pickles, the Council and a planning inspector.

It is the second public inquiry after the developers appealed the Council’s previous refusal of permission in 2012.

But Council agreed to the project after concerns about access via a swing bridge over the Leeds and Liverpool canal and an automatic barrier system for emergency vehicles were addressed by developers.

Members of the Greenhill Action Group (GAG), who fear traffic chaos, last night welcomed the second public inquiry.

Chairman Terry Brown said: “It’s wonderful. It’s better than we could have expected when Bradford Council approved everything back in June. We have had to do a lot of work behind the scenes on this.

“We are pleased that the Secretary of State has taken it upon himself to call this in to give us another chance to provide an opportunity to prove this development should not go ahead.

“We have got six weeks before the public inquiry to put together a statement of case. In that time we need to put together legal representation that will cost us the best part of £50,000.

“It’s a big six weeks coming up now. We need our supporters to hopefully come together to put donations and see if we can fight this off once more and hopefully this time to persuade the public inquiry to make sure that it does not come back.”

Mr Davies (Con) added: “It proves that Bradford Council are completely inadequate at making such a decision. It has been taken out of their hands now.

“Eric Pickles has already turned down this plan twice.

“Hopefully the public inquiry will accept our argument that we put forward that this application is wholly inappropriate."

Council Leader David Green said: “I hope a public inquiry can make a final decision having listened to all of the evidence and come to a conclusion on this application.

“I think Mr Davies needs to grow up and stop taking political pot shots. There are some important issues here. Hopefully it can come to an end either way.”

Bellway and Redrow Homes were unavailable for comment.