There can now surely be no doubt about the strength and sincerity of opposition among residents of Micklethwaite to plans for a huge greenfield housing development off Sty Lane. The fact that they have stumped up £18,000 between them to hire a barrister and expert advisers makes it clear enough that they are determined to do all they can to fight the proposal.

The case presented so far on behalf of the Greenhill Action Group (GAG) to the public inquiry into the Council's Unitary Development Plan is impressive. They are right to fear that the proposed new estate will result in numerous environmental problems, not the least of which is the pressure that hundreds of additional cars will place on the roads network in that already-busy part of the Aire Valley.

Then there are doubts about the ability of the schools and health centres to cope with a massive influx of residents who, given the nature of new developments of this type, are bound to include many families with young children.

Alyn Nicholls, the town and urban planner who has produced a report on behalf of GAG, has pointed out that Leeds Council, which set itself a 66 per cent target for homes to be built on brownfield sites, had in fact reached almost 80 per cent. That is a commendable achievement.

It is a great shame that Bradford has not been able to do something similar rather than putting more and more pressure on the remaining greenery in areas ill-equipped to cope with large numbers of additional homes.