Home / Environment / Council Demands Cabin Removal and Reforestation
Council Demands Cabin Removal and Reforestation
12 May
Summary
- Holiday cabins must be removed and 300 trees planted.
- Owners claim they are innocent and unaware of the works.
- A public hearing is scheduled for July to decide the appeal.
Bradford Council has mandated that owners of Jacobs Wood Farm in Silsden must dismantle existing holiday cabins and install 300 trees. The enforcement notice demands the cessation of works and the removal of buildings, access roads, and poured concrete, as these were undertaken without the necessary planning permission. The authority cited damage to irreplaceable woodland and a harmful urbanizing effect on the green belt.
The site's owners, AZARA GIDA SAN.VE TIC.LTD.ŞTİ, have filed an appeal, asserting they are innocent parties who acquired the site after the works were completed. They argue that enforcement action is now too late due to the passage of time and that the development is immune. The appeal also questions the requirement for 300 trees, stating that not all trees were removed.
Bradford Council refutes the immunity claim, citing Google Earth imagery that shows no development prior to May 2025. The council maintains that the tourism benefits do not outweigh the harm to the green belt and clarifies that 300 trees are required for woodland restoration, not individual replacement. A public hearing is scheduled for July 21, 2026, to adjudicate the appeal.
In addition to removal, the owners are required to plant 300 trees by March 2027 to help repair the damage. The notice highlights the site's status as ancient woodland, important for wildlife and its rich ground flora. The development's substantial tree loss altered the area's character, diminishing the Airedale Landscape's special qualities.
