Campaigners in Huddersfield are preparing for a public inquiry into a dispute over footpaths that could affect plans for a new housing estate. The eight-acre site at Clayton Fields in Edgerton is earmarked for 40 homes as part of Kirklees Council's local plan, adopted last February, which aims to build tens of thousands of new houses across the borough by 2031.
The land is criss-crossed with footpaths that would be lost if the development goes ahead. Local activists, who previously lost a bid to stop the development, will argue against the paths being 'stopped up' at the inquiry, scheduled for Tuesday, January 21.
Jonathan Adamson, chairman of the Clayton Fields Action Group and a campaigner who last year won a High Court battle to prevent the council from bulldozing allotments in Birkby, said: 'We are fighting to retain the footpaths and to optimise the landscape qualities and the biodiversity of Clayton Fields for everybody, including the people who will buy the houses.' He added that Huddersfield has many empty buildings that could be repurposed for housing instead of building on green space.
The dispute over access to the land dates back nearly 25 years. Clayton Fields was registered as a town and village green in the 1990s, which should have protected it from development. However, the Supreme Court de-registered it in 2014, making the site available for development again. Reactivated footpath appeals are now at the heart of the public inquiry.
The inquiry will be held at the Yorkshire Children's Centre on New North Parade, Huddersfield, starting at 10am on January 21.
