A PROPOSAL to knock down a shelter used for drug-fuelled teen parties has been put on ice.
Residents living near the shelter off Cliff Road, Holmfirth, have demanded that Kirklees Council demolish it after years of anti-social behaviour on the site including wild parties organised on the internet.
Holme Valley councillors had been asked to consider whether to repair the dilapidated stone shelter, known as Cliff ‘Rec’, or knock it down.
But at a Holme Valley South Area Committee meeting, others came out in support of keeping the structure.
They argued it was a community asset which had been used for generations without trouble.
Supporters said the site was still used legitimately by respectable groups including Holme Valley Scouts.
One resident said: “We can’t just take away part of our heritage.
“We need to be tackling the problems at the source. It’s an issue of managing anti-social behaviour, drugs and alcohol.
“We shouldn’t just take facilities away on a pure whim. If we take every single thing away, we will have a bland landscape.
Another added: “You can’t just move the kids on because they will go somewhere else.”
Now councillors have called for a private meeting with police and Kirklees Council to discuss the fate of Cliff Rec.
The date and venue is yet to be announced.
Chairing the meeting Holme Valley South councillor Donald Firth said: “These kids going up to Cliff are totally out of control.
“They are spoiling the quality of life for the people who live around the area. We have got to do something.
“We need to have a special meeting with police and Kirklees and see what we can come up with.”
Clr Ken Sims added: “If the police can’t do anything we have to do something and pull it down or gate it and stop these people going in.”
