CAMPAIGNERS fighting to save historic Hawksworth Hall from development are celebrating after the Secretary of State announced he was 'calling in' the plans in.

They are also celebrating the acceptance of a bid from the American millionaire trying to save his ancestral home for the village.

A spokesman for the campaigners said American businessman Jay Hawksworth Elias Jnr, despite being seriously ill with cancer, had spoken by telephone to the group on Monday.

"A member of our group has spoken to him and he had had acceptance of his offer. They've now asked for more details and are in negotiations with him."

The grade two listed hall, owned by the charity Scope and used as a children's home until two years ago, was given conditional approval in April to turn it into three houses with five more in the grounds.

But because the hall is listed and within the green belt, Leeds City Council had to refer the plan to the Secretary of State.

He has now decided there are significant reasons to call the plans in and is to hold a public inquiry on a date to be fixed. The inquiry, which is likely to be held locally, will consider the historical importance of the building, whether there is a need for the development and the impact on the green belt.

The campaign group spokesman added that if the bid from Mr Elias was successful there would be no need for the public inquiry to go ahead.

The asking price for the hall is believed to be around £1 million to £1.5 million.

Scope has already warned that it is legally obliged as a charity to get the maximum amount from the sale of the property. Around 1,000 people have signed a petition against the development of the hall and Prince Charles, although not able to help, has sent the group his best wishes.

If his bid is successful, Mr Elias, who is a businessman in Ohio, intends to restore the hall and bequeath it to the village.

A Scope spokeswoman said the charity was not able to make specific comments about the sale of the hall. But she added the charity was obliged to get the most it possibly could from the sale of the building.

The charity, which has owned the building since 1956, decided to sell it in 1998 and it has been on the market since September of that year. Efforts to save the hall have received cross-party support including pressure from Aireborough MP Paul Truswell.

He said: "The hall is an historic and significant site and I share local people's view that the proposed development would have a significant effect on it and its green belt setting.

"One of the issues that the inquiry will take into account is whether the overall development is needed to secure the future of the hall. Clearly, if other potential purchasers, such as Mr Hawksworth Elias, believe they can afford to buy and restore the hall without also building around it, then this should be taken into account."

A Leeds City Council spokeswoman confirmed that the application would now be decided by the Environment Secretary, John Prescott.

"We received notification on August 1 that the Secretary of State has decided to call in the application for determination. This will take the form of a public inquiry on a date to be fixed."