FARMER Cath Brook fears the fields round her home will be filled with housing.

Cath, 44, has lived on Farwood Farm near Slaithwaite all her life.

But she fears the land will be built on if a new 15-year development plan goes ahead.

Cath said: “I would be absolutely devastated, I can’t describe how it would make me feel. Since I was a young child I’ve wanted to farm this land.

“This has come as a terrible shock to us, we’ve spent so much bringing the land up to scratch.”

Kirklees Council is currently consulting residents across the district on the Local Development Framework (LDF) which will determine which land will be earmarked for housing, industry and commerce between 2011 and 2026.

Cath said: “The six acres here are currently designated as Green Open Space, but they are earmarked for building land from 2011 onwards. There’s a serious chance there will be a change of use.”

Cath and husband Nick, 47, are tenant farmers on the land off Lingards Road. The couple, and their daughters Vicky, 18, and Lucy, 22, have ponies, geese and chickens on the fields.

Cath said: “We are passionate about the farm and its surrounding fields and we hope to continue as tenants long into the future. Where will our animals go without the freedom of the open land?

“The farm has been here for almost 250 years, why should it be surrounded by modern houses crammed in with parking for two?”

Council officials have drawn up four options for land use in Kirklees, all of which involve building 400 homes in Slaithwaite.

Cath gave Kirklees a 200-name petition against the plan yesterday. She doesn’t believe the village could cope with hundreds of new houses.

Cath said: “Slaithwaite is already bursting at the seams, it needs more parking, a dentist and a route to divert heavy traffic from the village. If the plan goes ahead Slaithwaite will become a town rather than a rural village.”

Cath also criticised Kirklees for not informing residents about the plan. She said: “Alan Knight of Lingards Community Association has informed all residents of the situation by posting information door-to-door, but this would not have been necessary if the council had done its job.”

Consultation on the LDF had been due to finish yesterday but Kirklees announced on Thursday that the deadline had been extended until April 17.

Information on the plan is available at libraries and town halls or by visiting www.kirklees.gov.uk/localdevelopment.