Ilkley Moor should have greater protection from unwanted development if new measures are adopted.

Bradford Council countryside officers have drawn up a plan to protect the natural environment in the district over the next five years.

It follows weeks of public consultation and 32 written representations from a range of people and organisations such as English Nature.

The Nature Conservation Strategy, which will be considered by Bradford Council's transportation, planning and design committee on Monday , contains specific policies on the management and protection of natural areas and resources. It also sets out

locations which have been

designated as sites of special scientific interest (including Ilkley Moor), special protection areas, wildlife areas and sites of ecological and geological importance.

Countryside officer Danny Jackson said: "Obviously any developer is going to find it

difficult to get permission to build on Ilkley Moor but we want to minimise any possible adverse impact on sites. For example, if someone wanted to build in a field close to the moor, we would stress the

conservation angle. It will be become supplementary planning guidance, something councillors must consider."

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.