A public report to Kirklees Council has exposed local Conservative hypocrisy on the use of Green Belt land.

All through the very public discussion of the future allocation of land for houses and business in the Local Development Famework (LDF), the Tories proclaimed that they were totally opposed to ANY development on Green Belt land – whatever the need.

Yet, a report to the Council’s Cabinet today was about land next to Dewsbury Rams Stadium at Owl Lane. It is all in the Green Belt and is owned by the Council. The report stated that 5 years ago, when the Tories were running the Council, an agreement was made with a property developer to allow housing development on this Green Belt land so that the future of Dewsbury Rams could be secured.
Details of the proposal can be seen at
www.dewsburyramsdevelopment.co.uk

There are several claims made for this deal:
1. That it will provide more community sporting facilities. According to the plan, this means a replacement rugby training pitch, a junior pitch, and a small indoor facility.
2. That the future of the Rams will be secured following years of financial problems. The six figure sums I have seen quoted may well not be enough to achieve that aim.

So the question is: who benefits most from this deal in potentially building 250 houses on Green Belt land. Is it the Rams, the Council, the local community, or the developer? I think we should be told all the facts before any final decision is made.