A developer is bidding to squeeze houses onto a mothballed pub site that has been blighted with rubbish left by travellers.

A 26-home plan on land at the former Spotted Cow pub at Salendine Nook has been lodged.

Travellers were offering rugs for sale when they parked up at the abandoned Spotted Cow pub site last year
Travellers were offering rugs for sale when they parked up at the abandoned Spotted Cow pub site last year

The pub has been abandoned for about four years and has been struck by arson attacks and traveller camps several times.

The new plan comes after a 22-home plan on an adjacent site to the left of the pub was turned down by Kirklees Council but then allowed at appeal.

In 2015 the council’s planning sub-committee unanimously blocked the idea of building between the pub and Salendine Nook Baptist Chapel, saying mature and protected trees would be damaged.

A trail of rubbish was left by travellers when they moved on from the Spotted Cow at New Hey Road last year
A trail of rubbish was left by travellers when they moved on from the Spotted Cow at New Hey Road last year

But their decision was thrown out by a planning inspector in June last year.

Now a new developer has appeared, this time with plans to demolish the long abandoned pub on New Hey Road and build a selection of three and four-bed houses on the land behind it.

If the new plan is approved it means a total of 48 homes could be built in the area close to Salendine Nook High School.

Public consultation on the new plan runs until March 21.