A landowner is calling for a site in Ben Rhydding to be released from the green belt to enable it to be used for housing.

Ulrich Rietschel told a public inquiry into Bradford Council's proposed Unitary Development Plan yesterday that 0.36 hectares of land on the former grounds of the Five Oaks House estate in Ben Rhydding Drive does not serve a green belt purpose and is surrounded by housing.

Mr Rietschel, who travelled to attend the inquiry from his home in Hamburg, Germany, said if the overgrown site was designated for housing only "one or two properties" would be developed.

He added that any development would have little visual impact on the landscape.

But Bradford Council planning officer Michael Hutchinson said: "We see the area as one of low-density housing and that's how it's perceived. It's well surrounded by mature landscaping and that's why it's included in the green belt."

Mr Hutchinson told the inquiry the Council was also against "putting pockets" of housing land in the green belt and added there were already a sufficient number of brown field sites earmarked in the area for housing.

He added there were no exceptional circumstances which justified why the land should be released for housing.

Government inspector Philip Asquith, who was overseeing the inquiry, agreed to make a site visit to view the surrounding landscape to see what impact a development would have on it.

The UDP proposes protecting as much green belt as possible and once agreed it will be the yardstick for planning applications across the district until 2019.