Residents fighting to stop homes being built on village playing fields today called on the community to back their campaign with cash.

The call came as Baildon's Jenny Lane Action Group await the outcome of a test case - scheduled to be heard in the House of Lords this week - which they believe could hold the key to victory.

An application has been made to Bradford Council to get the Jenny Lane site registered as a village green, which would protect it from development.

An independent arbitrator will examine the application but that has been put on hold until the result is known of the judicial review into a case from Sunningwell, in Oxfordshire. That involves a bid to register fields as a village green being refused because its public use was not deemed to be "as of right".

The Baildon campaigners say the Jenny Lane site should be designated a village green as it has been used by people for years without the permission of its owner, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Leeds, and hope the test case will establish clear criteria for such applications.

Action group secretary Julia Donaghue said they would be hiring a solicitor with village green expertise to prepare a formal response to the diocesan objection to the application once the test case result was known.

She said: "If we don't put in a really good case that stands up legally we might lose the application. But that's going to cost at least £1,000 and we've sent out 60 letters to various clubs and societies in Baildon asking for donations.

"A lot have either used the fields themselves or joined in the protests and we're hoping everyone will pull together.''

Various local businesses are being asked for donations, with individuals also invited to contribute to the fighting fund.

The Jenny Lane site was originally designated Green Belt but after representations from the church and a public inquiry it was earmarked for housing in Bradford's Unitary Development Plan.

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