Green belt land on the banks of the River Wharfe is again under threat two years after a scheme to turn it into a holiday village was thrown out by planners.

The washland at Hollin Hall Farm, Cocking End, between Ilkley and Addingham, has been advertised for sale as river-front development land by a Leeds-based company acting on behalf of the owners, Wharfe Valley Developments.

Michael Hardman, a surveyor for GVA Grimley, said: "The bottom line is that we see it as a potential caravan park with chalets, but we are selling it unconditionally."

But anyone interested in buying the land to develop it into a caravan park is likely to get short shrift from planning bosses.

Ilkley planning officer Martyn Burke said: "It is green belt land and washland - development potential is extremely limited."

Planning permission for a holiday park was first granted in the 1980s but the outline application expired.

A plan was submitted by Vincent Dobson, of Wharfe Valley Developments, two years ago but it was refused after a flurry of objections from planners, sports clubs, environmental groups and others.

At a public meeting in Ilkley at the time, Mr Dobson told objectors that he wanted planning permission to prevent other developers building on the site and stated that he had no intention himself of going through with the scheme.

Objectors feared that flood prevention work which needed to be done if the 6.5-acre site was developed would lead to flooding further down the river in Ilkley.

They were also worried that erosion of the river bank would result, forcing the reconstruction of Ilkley Golf Club and spoiling the river banks for anglers.

Mr Hardman said his company was marketing the site on behalf of its owner.

"There is a lot of work to be done on it but we have been marketing it for two weeks and we have had a lot of interest," said Mr Hardman.

Planners said that since the original planning permission was given, green belt policy had been tightened and the only possible development which could be considered was one which provided sports facilities only on the land.

Ilkley Parish Council planning chairman Kate Brown said: "We were very concerned to see the sign and wondered what 'development' land meant.

"I understand that outdoor sports might be feasible but leisure uses such as a caravan park could not be because it is in the green belt."

Objectors to Mr Dobson's original scheme also felt that it was out of character for the area and traffic problems would result from cars and caravans going in and out of the site.

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