Advice sought over plans for 90 new homes at Rumplecroft (From Ilkley Gazette)

Advice sought over plans for 90 new homes at Rumplecroft

8:00am Monday 22nd October 2012 in News

Otley Town Council is to seek independent advice regarding a proposal to build more than 90 new homes at Rumplecroft.

Taylor Wimpey is drawing up a detailed plan for the scheme, which would see a mixture of four-bedroom, three-bedroom and two-bedroom houses built on prominent green fields near the Weston estate.

Although the land has been designated for housing for many years, many local residents are opposing the development as they say it will cause road safety, traffic, overlooking and infrastructure problems and harm wildlife.

Town councillors discussed the issue at Monday’s planning and development meeting.

Council leader, Councillor John Eveleigh, said: “We have decided to appoint the same consultant who assisted us with our response to the local development framework, to get the benefit of her advice in terms of what the development could mean for the town and, if it does go through, what we could argue for in terms of local amenities.

“That will also help us know what areas we can contest on planning grounds, and we want to give the community group RAGE (Residents Against Greenfield Development) access to her, too, so she can hear local concerns and make her services available to them.

“We’ll be looking to take her on when the detailed planning application is lodged, which Taylor Wimpey has indicated could be in the next month or so.”

RAGE and others opposing the plan say it would overburden Otley’s struggling road network, by creating more traffic for Otley Bridge, and lead to further problems for the town’s already full-to-bursting primary schools.