It's a -hole of an ex-colliery, used mainly as a dumping ground.

I truly do celebrate the use of such land for the regeneration of the area. It can now be put to use that benefits the wider community and breath life into a dying area.

That opinion stands regardless of any new stadium being built for WTW.

It's not a fruitful oasis of flora and fauna you know.

Oh but it is. Those twitchers from the PI will be stringing up their anoraks as we speak.

Then there's the lost Roman settlement that's still to be dug up....

I think to put this in such simplistic terms is to miss the whole point of the LDF process (nationally, not just in Wakefield). Greenbelt policy is widely supported but also very widely misunderstood by the general public. People think greenbelt means virgin greenfield land where no development of any kind is allowed, but greenbelt protected areas contain housing, commercial and industrial development and contains both green and brown field land. The idea of greenbelt and the reason it is reviewed every 10 years or so (and now with the LDF's that will be around every 15 years or so in future) is to promote certain areas for future development and protect others during that plan period, and possibly for many decades to come, but equally some only for the next 10 or 15 years. Equally, land allocations have to be reviewed every 10/15 years and the most suitable land both released for development, and in the case of much of the North of England, other former industrial land reclaimed and protected.

This is the case with Newmarket, Wakefield needs land for continued growth in it's primary growth sector, distribution and logistics warehousing. So land has to be released, but equally other land will be greenbelt protected meaning that in the next plan period the greenbelt covering the district will increase from 70% to 71% of WMD.

Great news for you all. Some noses in Leeds will be greatly put out of joint by this news.

Fender for one. I don't she'll be able to cash in another favour with Cllr Wakefield anytime soon. Wonder if she'll put her house on the market like she said at the PI, with that smug look on her face, one I doubt will be there this evening.

Emergency meeting around the counter of the Post Office in Methley 9am tomorrow me thinks!!!!

That's all well and good, but let's be honest, how many people on this forum would have even cared about this development if it weren't for the stadium? The RFL have created a situation whereby fans are probably more excited by this than they were by yesterday's comeback.

There's always one!

Jobs, stadium, net gain greenbelt land, improved road network on NM Lane & Aberford Rd, new educational facilities, everyone's happy.

Obviously not.

Surely the decision has been made before this outcome though? Even so its more bait for us if this decision doesnt go ahead its a utter disgrace !!! Hope this is a step from us becoming great again.

Point taken and I agree, in part, with your comments about the RFL. You are right, less people would have cared out the outcome of this sites allocation in the LDF, both in opposition and support, if it was not for the stadium. However, would that have changed the findings of the inspector, I very much doubt it! While we had no choice to play the numbers game I always said that in reality it is not be about how many support or oppose this site and it's future development, it is about the relevance and quality of the arguments presented. Well, we and the people that did support it because of the stadium or not, have been proved right in that this sites was deemed suitable for the development by an independent inspector.

IA, now that the land is out of grrenbelt, what are the possible hurdles/ objections that can prevent a positive outcome to the PI, or does this mean that the development is a certainty ?

The land will not 'officially' come out of Greenbelt until the council ratify the report on 20th June, but this is just a formality.

As for hurdles, well the LDF report seemingly removes hurdles from the PI outcome and it is hard to see if it leaves any real hurdles, and the ones left appear to small and easy to get over.

This is an unprecedented situation and I think, it would appear, that the SoS office have realised that they needed to understand that both the LDF and the PI could not be just left in isolation of each other and both could have a major impact on the other if not considered as a whole. For impact, also read several years work and quite large amounts of tax payers money!

I know some people are sort of disappointed that the LDF news has come out before the PI decision, but I think (and if you look back, always have) that the LDF was a vital piece of the jigsaw and that it needed to be resolved, if possible, prior to the PI outcome.

In simple terms, the LDF inspectors job was to decide if the Newmarket site was the most suitable (when compared to all other alternatives) to deliver a major part of the requirement for B8 development land on the M62. She has said, in not uncertain terms, that it is and that WMDC have made the correct decision in choosing it in the sites plan.

The PI inspectors job is (or was) to decide if this planning application should go ahead under the currently in force plan for the district, current national planning policy and that the council and developer had demonstrated the exceptional circumstances required to allow development in the current greenbelt.

Now, the PI inspector has had two major things change since the start of the PI process, to it being ended on or before the 19th June. The plan for the district has just been concluded and removes this site from greenbelt and national planning policy has changed. A huge part of the PI has been, in effect, superseded by the LDF and the LDF inspector has had the benefit of looking at other sites, so it would appear highly improbable that the PI inspector & the SoS could not take this into consideration and then disagree with her, and put almost 4 years of work at risk!

Now, all that said, this is government and politicians we are talking about here... so while the PI being passed seems to be the only logical conclusion in light of the LDF report... until we see the decision, we just have to believe that they will reach this logical conclusion.

Fapfapfapfapfap.

Did wonder what Glover was on about on Twitter before I got on the train to Exeter - I disembark to discover this. Most excellent!!!