Local campaigners and Tong Ward councillors have submitted a petition calling on Bradford Council to stop the sale of green belt land off Westgate Hill Street, where a developer wants to build 1,000 houses and industrial units.
Over 1000 people have signed the petition which was started by Julia McGoldrick-Hayden, chair of the Tong and Fulneck Valley Association and supported by local Green Party councillors.
The proposal to sell the land came to light at the end of last year, and not long after the public consultation on the planning application started, Bradford Council started the process of selling the part of land it owns. Councillors and campaigners have both raised concerns with the council’s ability to look at the planning application objectively, as they will have a financial stake in the planning application being approved.
Councillor Matt Edwards Tong Ward) has long campaigned to protect Tong Valley from inappropriate development. He said, “The site is greenbelt for a reason. The Tong and Fulneck Valley is one of the last areas of green space between Leeds and Bradford and these proposals will see vast areas of this green space lost forever.
“Selling it could lead to the green belt status being removed — which would open the door to even more development. Our community desperately needs new homes and there are vast swathes of land in nearby Holmewood which are crying out for development. This is not the right place for new houses and we need to stop incentivising developers to build on our countryside and get them to build where homes are actually needed.
“An overwhelming majority of respondents to the developer’s survey last year were opposed to these proposals and Bradford Council should be listening. Once green belt is lost, it’s lost forever. We need to keep it for nature, for future generations, and to stop urban sprawl.”
All three Green Party councillors for Tong Ward have officially objected to the sale, but a senior Labour councillor has approved the start of the process to sell the land. The decision was made in private, and there is no way for councillors to challenge it, because Bradford Council does not have a proper “call-in” system like many other councils do. It is hoped the petition will force Labour councillors to reconsider their decision.
Ward councillors and residents say the Council has a significant conflict of interest, because it stands to gain financially if planning permission is approved. The sale agreement may even allow the Council to receive extra money later if the value of the land increases – which will happen if planning approval is granted. “
The timing of this raises a lot of serious questions” said Councillor Celia Hickson (Green Party, Tong Ward). “Bradford Council was holding this land for its ‘Road to Nowhere’ through the Tong Valley which was finally shelved last year – after the council wasted over £1million on it. Hallam Land started consulting on their proposals almost immediately after the cancellation and at the same time the council started the process of selling the land.”
“It’s well documented that the current Labour administration has mismanaged the Council’s finances to the brink of bankruptcy and more and more has been uncovered of the bad financial deals they made that contributed to this. We want this sale to be brought to a committee so we can properly scrutinise the details of this sale.”
The petition also raises concern about the Labour government’s recent changes to national planning rules, which make it easier for developers to build on green belt land by getting the land reclassified as ‘greybelt’ — meaning applications like this could become more common.
The petition demands that:
- The land sale is stopped immediately
- The Council keeps ownership of the green belt land
- Decisions like this are made in the open, with input from councillors and the public
“Bradford Council should be protecting our green spaces — not helping developers build over them,” said Councillor Edwards.