DETERMINED Birkby residents travelled to London today – to fight another court battle over their beloved village green.
Bill McGee and David Bowen were due in the High Court this afternoon for the latest bid to save Clayton Fields as an open space.
The pair are representing the Clayton Fields Action Group, against a developer who wants to overturn the area’s village green status.
The volunteers say they are determined to protect the village green status of Clayton Fields.
The land, which stretches from Halifax Road down to Birkby, was given Village Green designation in 1997.
But developers Paddico (267) Ltd, of Otley, are attempting to have the Village Green registration overturned.
The land was owned until 2005 by George H Haigh Builders who tried unsuccessfully to develop the land over several decades.
Today’s hearing is a third in the High Court over the Village Green status – and it may not be the last.
Mr McGee said: “We won at the first hearing and a second hearing before a different judge saw him support the original findings.
“The developers have the right of appeal which they have exercised and this is why we are back today.
“Even if today’s judge agrees with the two previous judges and rules in our favour, it may not be the end.
“We have been told that if the developers can come up with new evidence then they can apply again and the whole process could begin again.
“But even if the developers were to win, there is no guarantee the land could be developed. They would have to apply for planning permission and the site lies in a conservation area”.
The trustees are again funding their own fight, through donations and fundraising efforts.
An Easter egg hunt is planned for Sunday, April 4, with further community events in the pipeline.
