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Burley-in-Wharfedale businessman loses fight to keep road
A businessman who built an unauthorised drive to his house has been denied planning permission for the road one year after it was built.
Inspectors, acting for the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government Hazel Blears, agreed with local planners that the road, at Green Lane, Burley Woodhead, was an inappropriate development' which was harmful to the Green Belt.
They turned down the written appeal submitted by Seabrook Crisps boss Kenneth Brook-Crispin in February, stating that the road would cause significant harm to the landscape and character of the area'.
He will be served with an enforcement notice requiring him to return the land to its former appearance.
The news was welcomed by some of his neighbours who have fought long and hard to have the road ripped up.
One of them, who asked not to be named, said: "We're delighted. Hope-fully this time he will do the right thing and put it back to how it was.
"We have never used the road since it was built, it was a complete waste of money. He would have been better spending the money on upgrading the old road, that would have been much more beneficial."
Mr Brook-Crispin found himself at the centre of a row with some of his neighbours last May after calling in diggers to create the private drive.
The road, dubbed the Green Lane Bypass' was built without planning permission provoking a flurry of protests from some of his neighbours.
It was built to bypass the existing narrow track at Green Lane, which resulted in residents having to reverse their cars up to 700 metres on a daily basis if met by oncoming traffic.
The original lane, which dates back hundreds of years, was never intended for cars and resulted in numerous scrapes to property and vehicles as well as denying access to anything larger than a small transit van.
The land on which the new road was built belongs to a Green Lane resident, farmer Michael Green, who gave his permission for the development.
Speaking to Wharfedale Newspapers at the time, Mr Green explained that his 17th century home, which is a listed building, was regularly struck by lorries causing damage to his property.
However a report issued by the Secretary of State concluded that despite his concerns, the original lane had functioned adequately before the bypass was built.
The report states: "I agree that the new route is likely to be more convenient for drivers than the historical alignment of Green Lane, which pre-dates the era of motorised transport.
"Despite this, the lane seems to have functioned adequately through the transition from serving the largely agricultural needs of the past to the present requirements of scattered dwellings and reservoirs.
"Access by emergency vehicles may not be easy but this does not seem to deter people from living and investing in houses accessed from the lane.
"However I consider that the convenience of a relatively small number of drivers should take secondary importance to the intrinsic quality and character of the area that established planning policy is intended to protect in the wider public interest and for the longer term."
He added that two passing places which were widened further up Green lane could be integrated successfully into the landscape.
This is the second time in less than a year that Mr Brook Crispin has fallen foul of planning laws. In March this year he was ordered to remove wooden decking from the front of his property.
At the time of going to print Mr Brook Crispin was unavailable for comment.
1:36pm Thursday 8th May 2008
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CommentPosted by: HAROLD, ADDINGHAM on 5:24pm Fri 9 May 08
[bold]WHY IS THE ILKLEY GAZETTE NOT ALLOWING ANY "COMMENTS" ON THE FOLLOWING "FRONT PAGE" STORY ?!!!
'Fear hitting support for trail' claim[/bold]
By Paul Langan
FEAR may be preventing supporters of a path on the old railway line between Bolton Abbey and Addingham coming forward to help turn the idea into a reality, a campaigner has claimed.
Andrew Scull has been at the forefront of the local drive to create the cycle, foot and bridle path and he feels that the recent consultation exercise shows that there is strong support in the village for it.
But Mr Scull thinks people are put off from displaying their backing by the behaviour of a minority of the opposition group.
advertisement
Mr Scull was on the Wharfe-dale Trail Forum which carried out and arranged the funding for the consultation exercise and has been criticism because of his role. He was reported to the Standards Board for England accused of misbehaviour as a parish councillor - an accusation the board rejected.
Mr Scull has tried to keep his role as a parish councillor and his involvement in the Sustrans project separate.
But it is the harassment he has been subjected to which has caused the most difficulty for him.
He said: "I have been subjected to an organised campaign of personal harassment for the past year - most of it carried out anonymously.
"I have had hate mail - people have been ringing up people who employed me 20 years ago and someone has even rung up my Dad posing as someone else.
"A lot of people who would support it are a little shy because they don't want to be harassed themselves."
Mr Scull said it was only a small minority of opponents who were responsible for harassment.
He said it was now up to other supporters to get on board as members of a new steering group to take the project forward.
The group will have no support from Addingham Parish Council which has resolved to ignore the matter until landowners have been persuaded to support it.
And Bradford Council seems to have washed its hands of the project, after providing £4,000 worth of Council Tax payers' money for the consultation.
A council spokesperson said: "We have noted the consultation report but we have no plans to take any further action.
"If we receive any plans or applications for the trail in the future then we will deal with them through the usual planning process."
Mr Scull said that he would help with the setting up of the steering group if people contacted him through the Wharfedale Trail website.
He said: "The bottom line is that the consultation has shown that there is a great deal of support for this.
"It is up to the people who support it to come forward and drive it forward."
He said unless that happened the majority would lose out, adding: "My role from here would be to facilitate people who are taking it forward."
[bold]It is perfectly clear to all now why the Australians refer to us as a nation of ......
"WHINGING POMS" !!![/bold]
How we must all now pity poor Councillor Andrew James Scull.
I am sure it has not gone un-noticed by the readers of the Ilkley Gazette
that every time he comes up against opposition or bad news, poor Councillor
Scull is the first to throw his rattle out of the pram.
Yet again poor Councillor Scull whinges on because things are not going his
way and ... yes ... yet again blames his various failures on mysterious
persons unknown.
For the record, Councillor Scull, let's get those verified facts back in the
public eye.
(All of the following facts having previously been verified AND, for
Councillor Andrew Scull's benefit, are in the "public domain")
[bold]LIES ABOUT LANDOWNER SUPPORT
(made by David Hall of Sustrans)
FACT - David Hall of Sustrans was quoted in the minutes of a meeting held on
12th July 2005 (where Jeff McQuillan just happened to be present) as
saying:- "He (David Hall) said he had spoken to the major landowners and
received a positive reaction, particularly from the Bolton Abbey estate"
UNBALANCED CONSULTATION LITERATURE
i.e. All the "pros" BUT none of the "cons"
(prepared by Jeff McQuillan)
FACT - Previously reported in the Ilkley Gazette
UNBALANCED AND OFFENSIVE FORUM WEBSITE
(created by Councillor Andrew Scull)
FACT - Councillor Scull apologised to the other Forum members AND
acknowledged full responsibility for the content on the website
UNFOUNDED ACCUSATIONS OF INTIMIDATION
(made by Jeff McQuillan)
FACT - North Yorkshire Police confirm no action taken
UNFOUNDED ACCUSATIONS OF THEFT
(made by Jeff McQuillan & Councillor Andrew Scull)
FACT - West Yorkshire Police confirm no action taken
ATTEMPTS TO BULLY LANDOWNERS
(carried out by Sustrans)
FACT - Previously reported in the Ilkley Gazette[/bold]
How dare poor Councillor Andrew Scull cast the first stone (as per usual)
and accuse others of harassment when, on 12th July 2005, this sorry affair
was kicked off by his pal David Hall of SUSTRANS with a lie about landowner
support for this Trail.
Proof of this lie has been clearly minuted AND, under Freedom of Information
legislation, is available for all to see.
Councillor Andrew Scull, is it really a surprise that the good folk of
Addingham do not wish to be involved in the continuing harassment that those
against this Trail proposal have had to put up with for the last 3 years ?
Councillor Scull's suggestion of a new "steering group" is laughable .......
no doubt it is his intention that it will have the same ethos as his failed
(so-called) "Forum" which .....
[bold]NEVER MET AS A GROUP
NEVER ISSUED ANY MINUTES
NEVER PRODUCED ANY ACCOUNTS[/bold]
What a relief it is that the good folk of Addingham & Ilkley are represented
(and protected) by other local Councillors who have a better understanding
of such matters:-
FACT - Addingham Parish Council have resolved not to support the concept
unless all the landowners are in agreement
FACT - Bradford Metropolitan District Council have no plans to take the
Trail proposal forward
[bold]THE WHARFEDALE TRAIL
A CORRUPT, FLAWED & HIGHLY PREDICTABLE CONSULTATION
STOP WHINGING COUNCILLOR SCULL ..... "The bottom line is that the consultation" ...... IS OVER !!![/bold]
WHY IS THE ILKLEY GAZETTE NOT ALLOWING ANY "COMMENTS" ON THE FOLLOWING "FRONT PAGE" STORY ?!!!
'Fear hitting support for trail' claim
By Paul Langan
FEAR may be preventing supporters of a path on the old railway line between Bolton Abbey and Addingham coming forward to help turn the idea into a reality, a campaigner has claimed.
Andrew Scull has been at the forefront of the local drive to create the cycle, foot and bridle path and he feels that the recent consultation exercise shows that there is strong support in the village for it.
But Mr Scull thinks people are put off from displaying their backing by the behaviour of a minority of the opposition group.
advertisement
Mr Scull was on the Wharfe-dale Trail Forum which carried out and arranged the funding for the consultation exercise and has been criticism because of his role. He was reported to the Standards Board for England accused of misbehaviour as a parish councillor - an accusation the board rejected.
Mr Scull has tried to keep his role as a parish councillor and his involvement in the Sustrans project separate.
But it is the harassment he has been subjected to which has caused the most difficulty for him.
He said: "I have been subjected to an organised campaign of personal harassment for the past year - most of it carried out anonymously.
"I have had hate mail - people have been ringing up people who employed me 20 years ago and someone has even rung up my Dad posing as someone else.
"A lot of people who would support it are a little shy because they don't want to be harassed themselves."
Mr Scull said it was only a small minority of opponents who were responsible for harassment.
He said it was now up to other supporters to get on board as members of a new steering group to take the project forward.
The group will have no support from Addingham Parish Council which has resolved to ignore the matter until landowners have been persuaded to support it.
And Bradford Council seems to have washed its hands of the project, after providing £4,000 worth of Council Tax payers' money for the consultation.
A council spokesperson said: "We have noted the consultation report but we have no plans to take any further action.
"If we receive any plans or applications for the trail in the future then we will deal with them through the usual planning process."
Mr Scull said that he would help with the setting up of the steering group if people contacted him through the Wharfedale Trail website.
He said: "The bottom line is that the consultation has shown that there is a great deal of support for this.
"It is up to the people who support it to come forward and drive it forward."
He said unless that happened the majority would lose out, adding: "My role from here would be to facilitate people who are taking it forward."
It is perfectly clear to all now why the Australians refer to us as a nation of ......
"WHINGING POMS" !!!
How we must all now pity poor Councillor Andrew James Scull.
I am sure it has not gone un-noticed by the readers of the Ilkley Gazette
that every time he comes up against opposition or bad news, poor Councillor
Scull is the first to throw his rattle out of the pram.
Yet again poor Councillor Scull whinges on because things are not going his
way and ... yes ... yet again blames his various failures on mysterious
persons unknown.
For the record, Councillor Scull, let's get those verified facts back in the
public eye.
(All of the following facts having previously been verified AND, for
Councillor Andrew Scull's benefit, are in the "public domain")
LIES ABOUT LANDOWNER SUPPORT
(made by David Hall of Sustrans)
FACT - David Hall of Sustrans was quoted in the minutes of a meeting held on
12th July 2005 (where Jeff McQuillan just happened to be present) as
saying:- "He (David Hall) said he had spoken to the major landowners and
received a positive reaction, particularly from the Bolton Abbey estate"
UNBALANCED CONSULTATION LITERATURE
i.e. All the "pros" BUT none of the "cons"
(prepared by Jeff McQuillan)
FACT - Previously reported in the Ilkley Gazette
UNBALANCED AND OFFENSIVE FORUM WEBSITE
(created by Councillor Andrew Scull)
FACT - Councillor Scull apologised to the other Forum members AND
acknowledged full responsibility for the content on the website
UNFOUNDED ACCUSATIONS OF INTIMIDATION
(made by Jeff McQuillan)
FACT - North Yorkshire Police confirm no action taken
UNFOUNDED ACCUSATIONS OF THEFT
(made by Jeff McQuillan & Councillor Andrew Scull)
FACT - West Yorkshire Police confirm no action taken
ATTEMPTS TO BULLY LANDOWNERS
(carried out by Sustrans)
FACT - Previously reported in the Ilkley Gazette
How dare poor Councillor Andrew Scull cast the first stone (as per usual)
and accuse others of harassment when, on 12th July 2005, this sorry affair
was kicked off by his pal David Hall of SUSTRANS with a lie about landowner
support for this Trail.
Proof of this lie has been clearly minuted AND, under Freedom of Information
legislation, is available for all to see.
Councillor Andrew Scull, is it really a surprise that the good folk of
Addingham do not wish to be involved in the continuing harassment that those
against this Trail proposal have had to put up with for the last 3 years ?
Councillor Scull's suggestion of a new "steering group" is laughable .......
no doubt it is his intention that it will have the same ethos as his failed
(so-called) "Forum" which .....
NEVER MET AS A GROUP
NEVER ISSUED ANY MINUTES
NEVER PRODUCED ANY ACCOUNTS
What a relief it is that the good folk of Addingham & Ilkley are represented
(and protected) by other local Councillors who have a better understanding
of such matters:-
FACT - Addingham Parish Council have resolved not to support the concept
unless all the landowners are in agreement
FACT - Bradford Metropolitan District Council have no plans to take the
Trail proposal forward
THE WHARFEDALE TRAIL
A CORRUPT, FLAWED & HIGHLY PREDICTABLE CONSULTATION
STOP WHINGING COUNCILLOR SCULL ..... "The bottom line is that the consultation" ...... IS OVER !!!
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