Overview
- Bradford Metropolitan District Council issued an enforcement notice on March 3 requiring removal of four holiday cabins, five concrete pads, four septic tanks, an access track and stockpiled material, and it ordered 300 trees to be planted by March 2027.
- The landowner, Azara Gid San, has appealed the notice and says the works were completed before its purchase of the 33-acre Jacobs Hill Farm and so are immune from enforcement by reason of the passage of time.
- The council rejects that timeline and cites satellite and Google Earth images that show no sign of development before May 2025 and says a Temporary Stop Notice issued in September was not acted on.
- Local wildlife groups and council reports say the felling and construction damaged ancient woodland and harmed habitat for protected species such as bats and breeding birds, with critics warning that replanting cannot fully restore ancient woodland character.
- A public hearing on the appeal is set for July 21 and its outcome will determine whether the council can force demolition and remediation, the financial fate of the lodges, and how planners balance small tourism benefits against Green Belt and biodiversity protections.