Draft Bradford District Local Plan - Preferred Options (Regulation 18) February 2021

Object

Representation ID: 626

Received: 02/03/2021

Respondent: Baildon Walkers are Welcome Group

As an acredited Walkers are Welcome Group, we aim to encourage and support walking in and around Baildon as a way of promoting:
* health and well-being of local residents
* providing guided walks, and self-guided walking books (also available on line) to encourage people to come to Baildon to walk from other parts of the District (in co-operation with Visit Bradford, Yorkshire Walkshire, and the Countryside Service)
* to support the local economy (retail and hospitality)
* to help to protect the local environment and ensure that rights of way are protected and kept in good condition.
We wish to make some representations about the need to protect Rights of Way and open space in relation to several of the proposed sites for new housing

Comment

Representation ID: 627

Received: 02/03/2021

Respondent: Baildon Walkers are Welcome Group

We are not objecting to housing on this site, but are concerned that a green buffer should be created to protect the Right of Way along the bottom of the site, along the top of Walker Wood. This Right of Way is a very well-used walking route from the centre of Baildon to Bracken Hall Green and Shipley Glen. We also hope that a foot path can be created through any new housing so that walkers can access the Right of Way from West Lane.

Object

Representation ID: 628

Received: 02/03/2021

Respondent: Baildon Walkers are Welcome Group

We object to the loss of these fields. Although there is no Right of Way for walkers through them, many Baildon residents walk down West Lane and Lucy Hall Drive to get to Bracken Hall Green and Shipley Glen. These fields provide an important"break" in the built up area and help to provide "breathing space" from urban sprawl. There are two Rights of Way running along the hillside above this site and new housing built on these fields would have a very nagtive impact on the views from these popular Rights of Way (above and below Hope Farm). The Covid pandemic has shown the importance of walking for both physical and mental health. In our view, this is not just about walking on pavements, but being able to interact with the natural world and wildlife. These fields are an important resource for the Baildon community!

Object

Representation ID: 629

Received: 02/03/2021

Respondent: Baildon Walkers are Welcome Group

We object to the loss of these fields. Although there is no Right of Way for walkers through them, many Baildon residents walk down West Lane and Lucy Hall Drive to get to Bracken Hall Green and Shipley Glen. These fields provide an important"break" in the built up area and help to provide "breathing space" from urban sprawl. There are two Rights of Way running along the hillside above this site and new housing built on these fields would have a very nagtive impact on the views from these popular Rights of Way (above and below Hope Farm). The Covid pandemic has shown the importance of walking for both physical and mental health. In our view, this is not just about walking on pavements, but being able to interact with the natural world and wildlife. These fields are an important resource for the Baildon community!

Object

Representation ID: 630

Received: 02/03/2021

Respondent: Baildon Walkers are Welcome Group

Baildon Walkers are Welcome objects most strongly to this proposed housing development as it would have an extremely serious negative impact on one of the most valued local areas for walking, leisure, and wildlife in Baildon (the Gill Beck Valley). The Covid pandemic has re-emphasised the importance of being able to walk and access countryside for both mental and physical health. The adjacent Right of Way is a delightful, & historic track from Baildon to townships in the Wharfe valley, and is a corridor for important wildlife. Several of the walking routes we have published use this RoW. Existing nearby housing developments do not negatively impact on the views from the valley bottom or the farside of the valley, but new housing on this field would, as well as damaging a wildlife haven. This is highly valued piece of Green Belt and should not be encroached on by housing.

Support

Representation ID: 631

Received: 02/03/2021

Respondent: Baildon Walkers are Welcome Group

Although we support new housing development on this site, we are concerned that the track / Right of Way adjacent to it, and the Recreation Ground and The Dell, should be protected as an important green walking route from Baildon to Shipley, as well as a place for recreation.