MENSTON residents are preparing for their next big battle in their campaign against large-scale housing developments in the village.

Menston Action Group (MAG) is poised to head for the Court of Appeal in London on July 12 and 13 to appeal Bradford Council's approval of drainage conditions associated with a 170-home-plus development by Barratt Homes in Derry Hill.

Of three contested housing plans for the village, one development by Chartford Homes for 12 houses on land at Bingley Road is underway after MAG failed to overturn a planning decision at a Judicial Review earlier this year.

However, an appeal by developer Taylor Wimpey, which was proposing to build 137 houses on land at Bingley Road, was withdrawn in January.

Now MAG has its sights on the Derry Hill development.

Bradford Council granted permission for the 179-home development in 2014, but MAG has challenged the approval of drainage details for the the scheme, which it claims are insufficient, with existing problems seeing drains overflowing in Main Street during heavy downpours, and flooding an electricity substation near to the plot.

The approval of the drainage details was challenged by MAG by way of judicial review on September 25 2014. The group was unsuccessful following a substantive hearing on July 15 and 16 last year.

MAG appealed that decision and was granted permission by Lord Justice Lindblom in the Court of Appeal on November 12 2015.

MAG has six grounds of appeal, including questioning whether the planning authority's approach was reasonable, the relevance of 2011 Defra policy on sustainable drainage principles, relevance of National Planning Policy Guidance on flood risk and sustainable drainage systems.

The group also asks if it is permissible to construe planning conditions by reliance on planning policy generally, and if a planning condition be construed on the basis of policy advice arising after the granting of planning permission.

Dr Steve Ellams, of MAG, says the hearing is expected to be one of the most significant for the group, and a number of villagers hope to attend.

The group was also recently represented in a series of hearings called by a Government planning inspector at Saltaire regarding Bradford Council's revisions to its Core Strategy, the central policy document of its Local Plan.

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