Ilkley deserves special status and protection from aggressive developers due to its unique Victorian nature, it has been claimed.

Former parish councillor Barbara Cussons said Ilkley must have some protection to prevent every trace of land being 'whittled away.'

She made her remarks during the parish council's open meeting to discuss the 'conservation of Ilkley.'

The parish council believes preparation is vital if Ilkley is not to receive unpleasant surprises when Bradford Council reveals the first draft of its Unitary Development Plan (UDP) for consultation.

Coun Audrey Brand, chairman of the parish council's planning committee, said members of the working party should have responsibility for the particular area of the town in which they lived.

She said: "It is strength in numbers that count." She said it was vital to become involved in the review process from the very start. We want to aim, maintain and conserve Ilkley as it now stands," said Coun Brand.

Bob Tilley, chairman of Ilkley Civic Society, said Ilkley must look at widening its conservation area and prevent the growth of 'speculative' development.

He said several developments constructed during the final quarter of 1999 were 'appalling' and quite out of character for the area they had been built in.

"If we are going to fight, and it is a fight, we must have positive solutions. It is no good us simply saying we don't like something," he said.

Mr Tilley suggested the formulation of a document which highlighted the very special nature of Ilkley could provide officers sympathetic with objectors, with more ammunition.

One resident attending the meeting suggested the parish council was largely 'impotent' on such matters and it was the planning laws which needed examining.

District councillor Colin Powell said decisions about Ilkley's future were being made by people who did not live in Ilkley, did not understand Ilkley and did not care about the town in the way its residents did.

Coun Brand said she hoped a working party would be ready to submit its idea by the summer, hopefully before Bradford Council released its draft plan.

Mrs Cussons said: "We've got to do something out of the ordinary." She said it was not acceptable for Ilkley to simply bang its head against the planning process.

The first meeting of the working party takes place in the council chamber at Ilkley Town Hall on March 1.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.