KIRKLEES Council wants to bulldoze an imposing old house left to the people of the Colne Valley.
In the early 1970s textile chief Guy Crowther left his home, Field House in Radcliffe Road, Slaithwaite, to move to a smaller property.
The former boss of woollen manufacturer W and E Crowther - who died in 1986 aged 82 - decided he wanted to leave his home to the people of the Colne Valley.
Soon after it was turned into flats for the elderly, which is how it remains to this day.
But now Kirklees could be about to demolish the building.
Officials say they have been told it would be cheaper to flatten the building than repair it - a plan causing outrage among Mr Crowther's family. His grandson - also named Guy - wants to know what the public think.
He said: "Kirklees should be having some kind of public debate about this issue.
"The house was left to the people of the Colne Valley and for 30 years it has served that purpose. It seems a shame to lose that.
"If Kirklees closes these units without replacing them, financial savings will obviously be made. This will be almost certainly at the expense of the local people and the Colne Valley community.
"Is the property and surrounding ground to be sold to the highest bidder, to enable the construction of prestigious, high-specification private dwellings?
"How will the future needs of the Colne Valley elderly be catered for?
"What will happen to the revenue gained from this disposal? Will it end up in the council housing revenue account, benefiting the housing stock of greater Kirklees?
"Or will it find its way into general council funds?
"Wherever the money ends up, I cannot see how the people of the Colne Valley are to benefit, or that the perceived wishes of the benefactor who gifted the property for the benefit of the people of the Colne Valley, are taken into account."
A Kirklees spokesman confirmed that plans had been made to clear the site.
