Inquiry into 'unauthorised' woodland holiday lets

A four-day planning inquiry to decide whether a number of unauthorised structures can remain on a protected woodland site is due to begin next week.

Bradford Council issued an enforcement notice in May, saying that works at Jacobs Wood Farm in Silsden needed to stop and buildings, access roads and concrete on the site had to be removed.

It said that concrete pads had been laid, holiday lodges had been built, septic tanks had been fitted and access tracks had been created without planning permission.

AZARA GIDA SAN.VE TIC.LTD.ŞTİ claimed it was an "innocent party" and appealed against the notice, leaving an independent inquiry to decide whether or not it stands or gets overturned.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the notice required the company to plant 300 trees on the site, off Holden Lane, by March 2027 to help repair the damage done to "irreplaceable" woodland.

It said the unauthorised works had a "harmful effect" on the green belt on land comprising ancient woodland within the zone of influence of the South Pennine Moor Special Protection area.

The work to remove the changes would need to be done within six months.

It added: "The development of the wooded area has resulted in substantial tree loss, altering the character and appearance of the area, resulting in a harmful urbanising effect that diminishes the special character and appearance of the Airedale landscape, which is typically upland pastures with wooded inclines."

The appeal stated the works had all taken place before AZARA acquired the site.

The document said the recent buildings provided holiday accommodation which would "support the local economy through job creation and the wider network through the use local suppliers".

"Following Bradford's year as UK City of Culture in 2025, demand for holiday lets in the region has increased," it added.

The planning inquiry will be chaired by a government-appointed planning inspector at the Midland Hotel in Bradford city centre on 21 July.

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