COUNCILLORS have met the Thandi brothers to discuss their controversial plan to rebuild the Castle Hill pub.

Kirklees Council’s leader and regeneration chief were among the politicians who met the businessmen at the Sikh Leisure Centre.

Mick and Barry Thandi bought the historic pub in 1998.

But the 200-year-old building was torn down in 2005 as the businessmen tried to replace the entire pub with something bigger.

Five years later councillors refused to give the brothers permission to build a new pub at Castle Hill.

Kirklees Council’s Huddersfield Planning Sub-committee ruled that a new hotel – even if it was on the same site as the original – was not an acceptable development on green belt land.

In December 2011 the brothers revealed they would make a fresh attempt to win permission to build a pub at the iconic site.

The Thandis met high-ranking councillors to discuss the new plan at the Sikh Leisure Centre last week.

Kirklees Labour leader Clr Mehboob Khan was one of the politicians at the meeting.

He said: “It is not unusual for senior councillors and ward councillors to be contacted by applicants, especially for major schemes.