CAMPAIGNERS fighting Bradford Council’s backing of major housing developments in Menston face fresh uncertainty after the first stage of a High Court legal battle began on Monday.

Menston Action Group (MAG) appeared at the High Court in Leeds to ask for a full judicial review over Bradford Council’s handling of plans for a 179-home housing development on green fields at Derry Hill.

The group enlisted a barrister to present details of the case on their behalf and barristers also appeared to represent Bradford Council and the developers.

Although the hearing was expected to last half a day, it took the full day but the judge announced he would make a reserved judgement, with an expectation that decision will be released later this week or possibly early next week.

MAG believes the decision to approve the scheme ignored specific flood problems and it is opposed to schemes for homes on fields at both Derry Hill and Bingley Road.

“It’s a pity the judge cannot get on a train for a look at the site and say ‘I see what you mean’. We remain hopeful.

“There were 19 of us representing Menston Community Association in court. As far as we are concerned, we feel so outraged at the procedural breaches and the travesty of fairness in determining these issues that we will not give up as long as we can fund further progress,” he said.

The review of flooding problems in the area by leading expert Dr Duncan Reed was commissioned by members of Bradford Council’s Regulatory and Appeals committee, which decided to seek clarification when it met in October.

Dr Reed highlighted two significant issues, particularly the unique landscape surrounding Menston and the impact on underground water levels caused by closure of the old High Royds Hospital.

In Dr Reed’s opinion, Barratt Homes, which wants to build homes on the Derry Hill site and Taylor Wimpey, which wants to put 134 properties beside Bingley Road, have not been specific enough in their approach.

“The developers have relied on generalised methods of flood estimation widely but wrongly applied to such sites,” he wrote in the opening to his report.