I attended the meeting at Morley Town Hall on Monday evening regarding the proposed travellers site on Valley Road, and had the opportunity to speak on the matter. It was an interesting evening and hundreds lined the hall, which really demonstrated the importance of people power and the passion that us Yorkshire folk have when we feel that we need to be heard. I would like to thank Cllr Finnigan for organising the event. I wholeheartedly believe that people should have such a platform to express their views in this manner.
I am opposed to this development; it is not suitable and it is too large, whilst we already have an existing Cottingley Springs site in this area. Over the last ten days I have spoken to many residents, and like them I too am concerned about these proposals and the effect they will have on our local communities. We want to see fair play, and discovering that the developer had already commenced works at the site is unacceptable. We cannot allow other people to sidestep the planning system; especially when householders have to jump through hoops to extend their home and get planning permission.
Some people may say that this is a local authority matter, but I truly believe that everyone can make a difference, beginning by putting in an objection. I have been involved in planning concerns for nearly a year, and have worked closely with the brilliant MARC group and Cllr Finnegan, and took them to meet the Planning Minister Nick Boles and Secretary of State Eric Pickles, who called in the Cottingley Springs Travellers expansion. I am a firm believer that actions speak louder than words, and every step of the way I will do all I can to prevent this.