A quarrying firm’s bid to offer up land for a football pitch has divided a community.
An exhausted part of Marshall’s old Sovereign Quarry near Shepley must be restored back to how it was.
The stone supply company has offered to make the land at the junction of Carr Lane and Lane Head Road into a new football pitch to be used by Cumberworth juniors.
But campaigners battling the Elland-based firm’s plan at Dearne Grange near Birdsedge have blasted the plan as a “sweetener” to soften opposition to a new proposal, which could see quarrying just a few steps from more than a dozen homes.
Others complaints have included opposition to offering up the land to a group from outside Shepley and concerns about its location next to the notorious Sovereign Crossroads accident blackspot.
The Friends of Shepley community group has contacted the quarrying firm with an alternative proposal for a wildlife haven and beauty spot.
Clr John Taylor hosted a packed public meeting at Shepley Library where it was agreed to pursue the football pitch plan.
Clr Taylor said he accepted there were some road safety concerns but rejected the idea that the plan was any kind of “bribe” to the community in exchange for the unpopular Dearne Grange proposal.
He said: “I couldn’t be clearer about my opposition to Marshall’s plan for Dearne Grange. I would have no involvement in it whatsoever if I thought it was some sort of deal being cooked up as a sop to the community.”
Clr Taylor said the concerns about highways safety were valid but could be dealt with through the planning process.
He added: “The consensus from the meeting was that people are happy with this.
“I’ve probably had 100 emails on the plan and about 95 are in favour of it.”
In a post on Facebook, a spokesperson for Cumberworth Juniors urged people to support it.
They said children from Shepley would benefit from the facility, said it would only be used on weekends and guaranteed a “zero tolerance” approach to parking on the road by anyone using the facility.
But Mark Burrell, a resident set to be affected by Marshall’s Dearne Grange plan, said he felt the plan was a “sweetener” to local residents as Marshalls Mono attempted to “woo people in support of the quarry at Birds Edge”.
He added: “Secondly, there is a deepwater pond very close to this proposed site that would be a danger to children.
“As a former semi-pro player, coach and long time participant of football to this day, I would encourage more and more facilities for kids.
“But in this case its not ethically right to accept it in the way its meant by Marshalls and certainly not if it risks endangering lives.”
