Leeds Golf Centre, in the village of Wike, near Shadwell, wants to build 35 overnight cabins, in a move locals say could turn the place into “Center Parcs”.
Villagers banded together to buy banners opposing the idea, which were put up on Wike roads and outside the club entrance last week.
But shocked eyewitnesses have claimed golf center staff showed up almost immediately and tore down some of the signs, before carrying them away in the trunk of a car.
It has also been suggested that several billboards were destroyed in the process of being ripped out of the ground.
In response, the club said they had only taken up the signage which was on land it leases from the council, and that they had only done so after consulting the local authority.
They defended their actions as “right and proper.”
Other signs remain in town, while some were moved to people’s backyards after the incident.
An eyewitness, who asked not to be identified, said: “Within an hour of the signs being put up, the ones around the golf club had been put in the trunk of a car and taken away by gardeners. in the club.
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“We don’t break any laws and we don’t trespass on any property.
“It is a very emotional subject. People are really angry because the property they have built has been damaged.
“I saw a conversation between staff and a guy who was putting up signs. I don’t know if it was unpleasant, but it seemed like a Mexican-style matchup.”
Another villager, who also asked to remain anonymous, described the incident as “pretty bleak”.
“It all happened very, very fast,” they said.
“Residents paid around £800 for all the signs. They are really upset about it.
“We’ve made sure that more that we’ve placed since then are inside people’s gardens and private property so they can’t be removed.”
In response, a Leeds Golf Center spokesperson said: “We were aware of some posters campaigning against our plans for the center and checked with Leeds City Council to see if they were legally allowed to be where they were.
“We were told they weren’t and could be removed so we only removed the ones that were out of business as we pay the council an annual fee for this area. “There are still a lot of signs around town that have of course been left.”
The golf club laid out the plans, which include a renovation of its clubhouse along with the construction of a two-story driving range, in 2018.
They say the scheme, which has been publicly endorsed by 97 matches including Yorkshire Cricket Club, would be “in keeping with” its natural surroundings.
However, council officials have recommended that the plans be scrapped ahead of a public meeting next Thursday, on the grounds that they would be “inappropriate” for green belt land.
A spokesperson for the golf center added: “It is important to note that we have received a lot of support for our plans for the golf center here.
“And we also appreciate that others have different points of view, which is great for open discussion and rightly so – it is this feedback that has allowed us to make significant changes to the original planning application.
“And in this case we did everything we could to make sure that what we did was correct and appropriate.”
A council spokesperson said: “We received a complaint last Thursday (April 28) regarding unauthorized signs being placed on or around publicly held land and street furniture near the Leeds Golf Center on Wike Ridge Lane, Alwoodley.
“Officers had planned to inspect the signage, but understood that it had already been removed. Officers will continue to monitor the area and contact involved parties if necessary.”
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Source: www.yorkshirepost.co.uk
This notice was published: 2022-05-05 10:28:39
