Campaigners opposing 400 new homes in Micklethwaite believe land earmarked for the proposed development may no longer be allocated for housing.

The Greenhill Action Group is seeking clarification over whether the site at Sty Lane is retained for housing under the Replacement Unitary Development Plan or whether the designation has expired.

Group chairman Terry Brown said the plan originally allocated the site for housing, although the group believes it had expired in 2008 and the site had not been saved for housing by the Secretary of State.

He said: “It is a fine legal point which says if you wanted to maintain this for housing you had to go to the Secretary of State and say, for all the various reasons, this site should be maintained on the housing register for future, and they didn’t do that.”

But Bradford Council has said the RUDP has not expired and the site is allocated for housing.

Julian Jackson, Bradford Council’s assistant director for planning, transportation and highways, said: “The designation of this site for housing under the Bradford District Replacement Unitary Development Plan is still in force today and has not been superseded by any Government planning directive issued subsequently.”

Richard Raper, Greenhill Action Group’s town planning consultant, said: “We have a different interpretation.

“Our interpretation, from our own legal advisers, is that the H2 and H1 sites have not been carried forward in this way and therefore there is no presumption in favour of development."

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