Yesterday, 20^th August 2019, the Aireborough Neighbourhood Development Forum lodged a claim in the High Court for a hearing to look again at the Leeds City Council Site Allocation Plan with respect to the Green Belt Sites allocated for development.   That then completes the first stage of the process.

We have raised just over £22,000 as of today; a little over half of the amount we need for the whole judicial review, but it was enough to lodge the claim by the deadline of 21^st August 2019.  So, another milestone passed.

We could not have raised this money without the dedicated help of many Forum members and volunteers who have been out in all weathers delivering leaflets all over the area and telling people what is going on.  We even had Edward Entwistle, a young man from Moorland Crescent, Menston, raising £2.80 for us by making and selling doughnuts from his drive.  

We would like to thank everyone who has done such wonderful work so far, and who will be helping us over the coming months.   We’ll be publishing a list to thank them personally when we have permission to do so.    We also hope to have a fundraising event in early autumn.

We would also like to thank the many, many residents who have been incredibly generous with their donations and for telling us how they feel about this situation – it is hugely encouraging to know people think we are doing the ‘right’ thing for them.     

Next Stage

Now we move on to the next stage.    The Barrister appointed by the ANDF has set out very detailed grounds on a number of issues as to why Aireborough residents have potentially been substantially prejudiced by the SAP process.  

The next step is for Leeds City Council to answer our claim, and also the Secretary of State (SoS), if he is so minded, as it was his Planning Inspectors who conducted the hearings.   The Council, and SoS, get 21 days to do this.   A judge then looks at the Aireborough claim, and the LCC response and decides if there should be a hearing, or not, or if he needs a pre-hearing to understand the case better.

Fundraising Continues

All of this will need funding, and as we have not yet raised the full amount for the case we will continue fundraising for a further £18,000.  You can find full details of how to donate or pledge to help with this appeal on our website here.   We are carrying on with our £10 campaign from 4,000 people on LocalGiving , but are also happy to take pledge to donate more substantial sums over £100 when they are needed. 

We will keep people updates on progress on their judicial review via our website here and also via the Wharfedale Observer.   This is without doubt a community project, and it is fantastic to see everyone working together.  Please help us to raise awareness for our appeal by sharing this page with your friends