AROUND a year ago, Crest Homes (Northern) Ltd arrived in Ilkley telling us that their acquisition of the Ilkley college site was a great benefit to the community.

In a deal worked out with the college owners, Bradford and Ilkley College Corporation and Leeds-based surveyors Storey Sons and Parker, the Harrogate-based developer told us how the town would be 'enhanced' by its presence.

Ilkley people were not convinced. Not only had they lost the college, but the campus was important as a venue for many local groups, not to mention the world famous Ballet Seminars run by former Ilkley resident David Gayle.

Local education groups, an Ofsted praised nursery, and many other organisations all disappeared in the bid to turn the whole campus into an estate of exclusive homes for rich commuters.

Although Crest tried to quell dissatisfaction in the town by

handing out money to local groups everyone suspected that their commitment to the community would last only as long as they could make a profit from it.

Not that there is anything wrong with a company building houses to make a profit, people were just very sad that yet another community resource had been lost for ever.

Now it seems Crest's parent company based in the south of England could not even wait to complete the development and surrounding landscape works before leaving Ilkley.

They have sold off the whole development with Miller Homes, of Scotland, buying the largest slice for £30 million.

So not only have we been denuded of a valuable

community resource, we don't know what is happening to the building programme, who is responsible for what

landscaping and remedial works, and when the development will finally be completed.

According to the company's own literature, Crest has gone off in search of richer pickings in the South of England.

It would be nice to discover in what way the company the

company thinks it has 'enhanced' the town of Ilkley.