The result of the public inquiry into the council's proposed Unitary Development Plan will be warmly welcomed today.

This newspaper has long argued that relentless incursions into the green belt around Bradford must be halted and that a great deal more effort needs to be put into redeveloping brownfield sites and run-down inner-city areas.

This would not only have the benefit of protecting the green belt for future generations but it would also bring enormous benefits for improving the quality of life in Bradford itself and encouraging more people to want to live, work and play near the centre of the city.

The inspectors have responded to the concerns of the 7,000 or so objectors to the UDP and supported efforts to stop further development on green field sites.

But there are losers as well, and some land in parts of the district has been recommended for removal from the green belt.

It is to be hoped that the council will use the spirit of the inspector's recommendations to review some of the plans for these sites even at this late stage.

Areas such as Sty Lane at Micklethwaite could still be saved from the invasion of housing planned for the year 2009 and beyond.

Hopefully the next UDP will also take notice of the fact that these incursions into our remaining green fields will be met with disdain by the inspectors and save a great deal of public money by not attempting to destroy them in the first place.