CAMPAIGNERS fighting controversial plans for more than 100 homes on green belt land are celebrating this week after an amazing U-turn by city councillors.

Taywood Homes' proposals to build houses on greenfield land between Meagill Rise and St David's Road in Otley had brought hundreds of objections from residents.

And the scheme was thrown out this week - despite outline permission being granted 18 months ago.

The development was set to go ahead when new national planning guidelines (PPG3) were issued last year requiring local authorities to allow development on brownfield sites before greenfield sites, except in special circumstances.

Councillors felt that they could not now approve the plans in light of the new recommendations.

Joyce Clerk, of the Residents Against Greenbelt Erosion group (RAGE) which was set up three years ago to fight the plan, said it was a victory for commonsense.

"It is absolutely amazing. At one stage we were told that we would find it hard to get it refused because of Government guidelines because the development offered low cost housing.

"This fight has been ongoing for three years - and for some people since 1992 when they tried to build something before. After all these years, it's a great feeling to have finally won something. We had hoped that the PPG3 guidelines might help the council find brown field sites elsewhere but we didn't know if they'd actually found any sites.

"There has been a big residents' campaign with quite a few meetings and I'm thrilled that the plans have been turned down."

Residents had been concerned that the new estate would bring traffic chaos and spell disaster for roads in north Otley. They also objected to the loss of green space and the lack of open space in the development.

The campaign had the backing of MP Harold Best and the Wharfedale Environmental Trust, which claimed the developers were 'thoughtlessly' tearing up the countryside.

Councillor Clive Fox (Con, Otley and Wharfedale) said he was delighted at the outcome.

"It is a vindication for those who want to preserve the green belt, including the 358 people who wrote objecting at the outset," he said.

"This is a greenfield site and development would have been inappropriate. I just hope that this is not just a short-term preservation - it is important that Otley does not expand any further.

"After considering the matter for months the council has had to bow to the inevitable and concede that it would be wrong to allow this development to go ahead in the light of PPG3."

Coun Phil Coyne (Lab, Otley and Wharfedale), added that he supported the report but felt that the loss of the affordable housing was regrettable.

"People born in the area often cannot afford to live in Otley and creating affordable housing is an important issue. It is socially unacceptable that people cannot find three-bedroomed family accommodation.

"There are other schemes in the pipeline which include affordable housing and I am concerned that they should go ahead."

Leeds planning officers stated that there was doubt whether the affordable housing on offer would be sufficiently affordable to be of benefit to people and said that other sites incorporating affordable housing would become available locally.

Campaigner Mrs Joyce added her thanks to the Wharfedale Observer for highlighting and supporting the campaign over the years.

Harrogate-based Taywood Homes could still appeal to the Government in a bid to overturn Leeds City Council's decision.