A LOCAL MP has called for a local landmark to be reinstated as soon as possible.
Batley and Spen MP Kim Leadbeater has called for a meeting with council officials over the reinstatement of the Oakenshaw Cross, a 300-year-old monument which has been at the centre of village life since the early 1700s.
Residents want to see the reinstatement of the historic cross, which was dismantled by Kirklees Council last year after being struck three times by lorries. It has been in storage ever since.
The council has drawn up plans for the cross but says no funding has been assigned to its reinstatement or to a public consultation on its future.
The Grade II-listed cross and steps stood at the junction of Cross Street, Sykes Lane and Wyke Lane in Oakenshaw on the border of Kim’s constituency of Batley and Spen.
Kim met members of Oakenshaw Residents’ Association as well as the newly formed Oakenshaw Monument Preservation Society, which are both campaigning for the reinstatement of the stone cross.
Ms Leadbeater said: “The Oakenshaw Cross has been a physical part of the village for more than three centuries, and local people rightly want a commitment on its future so that it can stand for another 300 years.
“However there are real and growing concerns that the cross may never be rebuilt.
“I’m seeking a commitment that this much-loved piece of local heritage will be brought home.”
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