Appeal over homes rejection

3:01am Thursday 3rd April 2008

Developers hoping to build 60 homes on Otley's flood plain have lodged an appeal against Leeds City Council.

Wharfe Bridge Ltd had its proposals for the old Bridge End Auction Mart site, by the River Wharfe, thrown out by Leeds planners last August.

Planning officers claimed the scheme, which would see a mixture of three storey townhouses and flats along with a café and office built on the land, would pose an unacceptable flood risk to the occupants of the new homes.

That opinion was shared by the Environment Agency, which concluded that the development would create an "unacceptable risk to life and property".

But Wharfe Bridge has always insisted the flood mitigation work included in its plans would remove any "unacceptable" risk, and will now challenge the city council's decision at a public inquiry.

Conserve Otley Riverside Campaign (CORC) member Penny Mares said she was puzzled by the move.

She said: "It's surprising because the local development framework issued in October, 2007, states that the council will not allow development in this zone of the flood plain.

"Of course that came out after the decision to reject this plan but I spoke to a planning officer about it and they said it would apply to any development, whether new or previously considered.

"And we also, of course, had the very strong objection in principle from the Environment Agency."

The decision to throw out the plan had been hailed by Otley's town and ward councillors and MP Greg Mulholland.

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