A report which states that Otley is not an historic town has provoked outrage among residents and civic leaders.

The inspector of Leeds' Unitary Development Plan makes the claim in his draft recommendations for housing on green belt land in the north of Otley.

His report approves controversial plans to build houses at Rumplecroft and states: "Otley is not an historic town and in any case the site plays no significant part in preserving its setting or character."

But numerous residents and councillors disagree. And a catalogue of historic sites and events have been highlighted including Iron Age settlements by the River Wharfe, the first church being built in Otley in 628, a licence being granted for Otley fair in 1222, Prince Henry's Grammar being founded by Royal Charter in 1608, and famous furniture maker Thomas Chippendale being born in 1718.

Otley Museum keeper Paul Wood called the inspector's comments 'fatuous'.

"It is clearly wrong to say that. There is a vast amount of evidence here and in other collections to suggest otherwise," he said.

"Twelve thousand years of history cannot be dismissed like that, so to say it's not historic is foolish," he said. "Rumplecroft alone is an early medieval plough land - it is mentioned as early as the 14th century when men were ploughing there with teams of ox."

And historian Elise Brumfitt, who has published two books on Otley's past, said she was amazed by the remark. "If Otley's not historic, what is?" she said.

The inspector will not discuss the details in the draft report. A Leeds City Council spokeswoman said the word had a specific meaning in planning case law under guidance for green belt developments.

"It may be that it is not meant in the way in which most people would read it. It had quite a complex meaning in planning terms," she said.

And a planning expert said that in planning terms 'historic' referred to places such as York, Winchester or Chester - places of national and international historic importance - whose ancient boundaries had to be maintained.

Otley's Lord Mayor, Councillor Graham Kirkland, said he hoped the phrase might be amended when the draft report was finalised. "I'm not surprised people are upset."

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