PLANS to authorise the new road in Burley Woodhead - built without permission - have been rejected by the village parish council.

All members of Burley-in-Wharfedale Parish Council recommended refusal for retrospective planning permission for the road.

About 15 residents also turned up to object to the damage caused by the roadworks and demand that the field be returned to its original state. But there was a dramatic no show from the owner of the new road, Mr Brook-Crispin, and his agent, John Steel, who submitted the application.

District and parish councillor Matt Palmer (Con) was unimpressed that they had no attended the meeting: "The real shock about this is that, even after all the complaints from residents and press coverage about this failure to submit a planning ap-plication, neither he nor his agent bothered to turn up. I think that in itself is very telling." Coun Palmer said objections made at the meeting were mainly on the grounds of damage to the green belt, so the council had recommended an ecological survey be carried out. There was a consensus that the road works were unwarranted and passing places would be preferable.

The residents of Green Lane who attended the meeting said that they were pleased with the council's decision. Kathleen Fordham, of Spinning Mill Cottage, said: "The damage that has been done is unbelievable - trees, hedges and dry stone walls have all been removed. There is a huge differ-ence between putting in something that will help people and destroying something.

"Although they have already scarred the landscape and it will take ten or 20 years to recover, nothing is too late."

The objectors are boycotting the new road in an effort to show that it is not needed, with nine out of the 13 homes on Green Lane refusing to use the road, according to Mrs Fordham. Those in favour of the new road called the old track an absolute nightmare to use because it was sometimes necessary to reverse out into the main road.

David Moss, of Onion Farm, said: "The new road has improved my access no end but the problem is that we have been a very close-knit community and this has caused something of a rift.

"I think that the road should be allowed to stay but it should be fenced and planted with mixed hedging along its entire length. That would actually create more countryside than was there in the first place. I accept that it was not done in an appropriate fashion and that due process was not considered. That was a mistake."

The application for planning permission will be considered by Shipley Area Panel in the coming months and Coun Palmer urged residents who object to the plans to sub-mit letters as quickly as possible.