Consultation over 300-home plan near beauty spot

A housing developer wants to build up to 300 homes near a Bradford beauty spot.

Keepmoat Homes hopes to build on agricultural land next to Chellow Dene Reservoir, to "meet Bradford's diverse housing needs".

The developer has launched a public consultation ahead of submitting a formal planning application for the scheme.

However, more than 800 people have already signed a petition calling for the plans to be halted.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, a third of the proposed properties will be classed as affordable.

Information on Keepmoat's website said the development would "create a new sustainable neighbourhood that is sensitively integrated with the local context".

It would also "provide a landscaped green link along the northern boundary to provide a development-free buffer to protect the setting of the ancient woodland".

A petition to stop the development, which would span 12 hectares of land off Allerton Road, has been organised by the Friends of Chellow Dene.

It described the area as "one of the last remaining green spaces in our area, home to wildlife and a place where our community can enjoy nature safely".

"Keepmoat is planning a development overlooking this precious land, and it threatens to destroy habitats, displace wildlife, and permanently take away a space that belongs to all of us," the petition added.

"Greenbelt land like Chellow Dene is irreplaceable.

"Once it's gone, it's gone forever. The local community's voice is being overlooked, and our environment should not be sacrificed for profit."

People will be able to use the website to comment on the plans, with a closing date of 12 February.

However, the comments will not count as objections to any future planning application.

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