The massive activity park proposed for Huddersfield is likely to cost around £150m.

Although the organisation behind the plan says it will need to build houses as part of the scheme to help fund the project, it is unable to say where the houses would be at this stage or how many would be constructed.

But Farnley Estates says there has been ‘a fantastic response’ to the idea.

They say more than 2,500 people have already visited a website to back the ambitious scheme.

But question marks remain about any housing element in the Farnley Country Park as most of the land is in the green belt.

The estate says it will be liaising with Kirklees Council on this issue but thinks land is likely to be sold to pay for the project.

Farnley Estates managing director Paul Sykes said: “While we want to be as upfront as possible, we cannot prejudge the outcome of the council’s planning process,” he said. “So we can’t say where any new homes may be built or how many.

“The numbers and locations of new homes across Kirklees will be determined through the Local Plan process, which the council is working on.

“The council will be consulting the public on these issues. In the meantime, we have been asked, along with other landowners, if we have any land that may be suitable for housing that could help meet the need for new homes.

“The council is considering the suitability of our land and that of others. This will identify potential sites but even at this stage there is no guarantee the land will be accepted in the long term

“If any of our allocations are accepted, we are not housing developers. The intention would be to liaise with Kirklees Council regarding the most appropriate use of the land. While it’s still a couple of years away, the most likely approach is that this land will be sold off, giving us the time and money to concentrate on developing the park.”

The park has been heralded as a ‘once in a lifetime’ plan which could bring up to 450 jobs, secure the future of the rural estate in the Farnley Tyas area and boost Kirklees’ share of the lucrative Yorkshire tourism industry.

People were invited to vote on the issue on the estate’s website and the estate says ‘a high percentage’ have been in favour.

Mr Sykes added: “We genuinely want to know what local people feel about this proposal.

“Questions have varied from requests for jobs to, understandably, clarification about housing. We plan to add more information on this to the website’s question and answer section.”

The estate says it would be looking at selling some land for housing to finance the scheme which would feature a 17-mile walking and riding track, cycling, parking and a cafe.

On cost, Mr Sykes said: “For Farnley Country Park to put Huddersfield on the tourist map, it has to be large, it has to be ambitious and it has to be viable.

“We can see overall costs being around £150m.

“We want to make the park attractive so we need a range of facilities and scale is essential. And a large scale project involves large scale costs.”

He sees the park as a 25-year plan for which the foundations ‘must be right’.

“The park must be big enough to attract the interest of local people, and those from further afield,” said Mr Sykes. “We intend to pave the way, but will be a great place to visit from its very beginning.”

Housing allocation, he said, has generated a number of questions.

More information at: www.peopleforthepark.co.uk