CAMPAIGNERS have rallied against plans to build on a village green.

More than 100 people attended a public meeting to protest against building on Clayton Fields.

The land, off Deveron Grove in Edgerton, is popular with dog walkers and children. It has village green status, which heavily restricts development.

But Otley-based landowners Pattico have asked the High Court to remove the protection.

Around 120 people attended a public meeting called by Clayton Fields Action Group at the Ukrainian Club in Edgerton.

Greenhead councillors Mehboob Khan and Mohan Sokhal spoke at the meeting.

Group secretary Mike Hardy said: “It was a terrific turnout. We had booked the smaller meeting room, but we had to swap with the belly-dancing class who were using the main hall.

“It shows that this issue is a hot potato. People feel very strongly that the last piece of open land in the area should be preserved.

“It’s the only place where children can fly kites or build tree-houses.”

Mr Hardy added: “Clayton Fields has been used for a very long time. There were some older people at the meeting who remember playing there as children.”

Pattico wrote to the action group in August saying they would ask the High Court to remove village green status.

Mr Hardy said: “We expect to be summoned to the court in the next few weeks to fight our case and we hope that Kirklees Council’s legal department will help us.”

Meanwhile, the chairman of Clayton Fields Action Group called the police after an angry confrontation with workmen at the site.

Bill Magee went to the Queens Road entrance on Friday last week after hearing that work was under way.

He said: “There were two workmen there with a dumper truck and digger. They were both big machines and their engines were running.

“I took some photos of the guys which upset them. They said ‘what are you doing here?’ I asked them what authority they had to work on a village green.”

The confrontation then turned ugly.

Mr Magee, 66, said the men were abusive to him and he made a complaint to the police about the incident.

A West Yorkshire Police spokesman said officers had spoken to all parties involved and decided the incident didn’t amount to a notifiable crime.

The Examiner contacted Pattico for a comment on the incident and the upcoming court case.

The company referred us to Emma Thomas of Leeds-based legal firm DLA Piper, who declined to comment on either issue.