A project has been launched which will shape the future of Ilkley.

Plans for a Design Statement were unveiled at Ilkley Town Hall at an event attended by residents, the parish council, civic society and Bradford Council planning officers Martyn Burke and Andy Haigh.

David Cartwright, chairman of the Design Statement Group, said: "The Ilkley Design Statement aims to raise awareness of the character and special qualities, buildings and setting of the Ilkley area, and to create planning guidelines which will, with the endorsement of the planning authority, be included in the Unitary Development Plan.

"The aim is not to stop development, but to ensure that this takes place in a manner which protects the character and general attractiveness of the Ilkley area."

The group was formed because of fears that in-fill development outside Ilkley's small conservation area was ruining the character of the town.

Developers have been concentrating on areas where there are large houses in their own grounds which could be pulled down to make way for clusters of smaller houses and flats.

Village Design Statements were developed by the Countryside Commission in the early 1990s and found to be an effective way of trying to ensure development in towns and villages fits in with the way inhabitants see the particular character of the area.

Burley-in-Wharfedale already has its own statement and Addingham is in the process of producing one too.

The group hopes to produce an initial statement as input to the consultation on the next revision of the UDP during the autumn and to produce a more detailed statement during 2001.

Ilkley residents will be able to learn about the group's plans at the Ilkley Then and Now exhibition in the Clarke Foley Centre, Cunliffe Road, between May 22 and 27.

On Saturday, June 17, the group will hold a public consultation exercise in the Lower Hall, Christchurch, at which members of the public will be able to say what they like and dislike about Ilkley and how they would like to see it develop.

Mr Burke told the meeting that the worth of any design statement could be proven when developers appeal to the Secretary of State for the Environment when planning decisions go against them.

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