HUNDREDS of houses linked to an East of Otley relief road could be built in the next few years.

Up to 550 houses and new industrial units are under consideration for land to the east and north of the Cambridge estate.

As part of its revision of the area planning blueprint, the Leeds Unitary Development Plan (UDP), the city council is reconsidering the development potential of the 75 acres of greenfield and industrial land.

Despite being allocated for residential use in the Leeds UDP, the development had been thrown into doubt because of new government guidelines which call for the development of brownfield, or previously used, land instead of greenfield sites.

But now, the land, designated a strategic housing site, is being considered once again with the council asking for comments by the end of February.

Councillor Clive Fox, (Con, Otley and Wharfedale) said he hoped a large amount of people would respond to the proposals.

Coun Fox, chairman of the Otley and Wharfedale Community Invol-vement Team (CIT) said: "The UDP originally talked about 400 houses being built on about two thirds of the site, but the housing densities proposed at the time were well below the current government guidelines.

"There are no definite plans at the moment, but the absolute minimum number now would be about 500 houses for a site of this size and I suspect it will have to be much closer to 800 to accord with government policies."

Coun Fox added that at least 25 per cent of the houses would have to be within the reach of first time buyers.

"They would probably have to be owned by housing associations and rented out or sold at a discount on a shared equity basis."

Coun Fox added that although the development could remove the need for housing in other parts of Otley and Wharfedale, he was concerned about an influx of commuters.

"Most industrial estates these days provide relatively few jobs. Too often they amount to little more than warehousing. The reality is that most new Otley residents will be commuting to Leeds and Bradford which is the last thing any council concerned about sustainability should be encouraging."

The development would mean the building of the East of Otley Relief Road - which would start at the Leeds Road roundabout and join the Pool Road on the far side of Stephen Smiths garden centre.

Although it would remove a certain amount of heavy traffic from the town, it would not stop wagons from the north of the town crossing Otley bridge.

Coun Fox said: "The completion of the developer financed by-pass is a long standing proposal but it has to be asked how many heavy goods vehicles it would keep out of the centre of Otley.

"It certainly won't keep the 250 or so heavy goods vehicles a day which travel to and from North Yorkshire over Otley Bridge out of the town, although it will have some effect on east-west traffic going via Pool."

l Leeds City Council has started a consultation about changes to the UDP, including the return of land set aside for future development (Protected Area of Search land) back into the green belt. Consultation is taking place with town and parish councils and there will also be a special supplement in this month's edition of the council newsletter.