Concerned residents join forces over golf club's plans to expand onto Roils Head Moor

A petition aimed at generating support and awareness over the issue has attracted more than 1,800 signatures.

Natalie Ratner, who lives at the bottom of Pellon, around half a mile from the moor, started the petition and wants to prevent Halifax West End Golf Club from expanding onto the land.

She said: "We’re now realising the importance of public access to green space; being confined indoors during the pandemic helped us realise the connection between the outdoors, being in and around nature and people's mental and physical health and well being.

"Citizens in the UK are amongst those with the least access to public space and are subject to the most restrictions around the right to roam. It is therefore more important that ever for us to fight to keep our public green spaces free from private ownership, development and influence and claim back what rightfully belongs to the people.

"The proposals to turn part of the Moor into a privately accessible golf course are concerning.

"The golf club has tried numerous times over the last 20 years or so to expand onto the moor. When we became aware of this latest proposals, we felt it was important to let people know and gauge local opinion.

"We've got around 1,600 signatures. Initially we were just hoping for 500, which is the number you need to have a petition heard by the scrutiny panel at the council.

“We we’re surprised that it surpassed that number on the first day.

"The scrutiny panel is on September 28, so we'll be submitting the petition via our local councillors and will be asking a question about the whether the council will allow the land transfer to the Golf Club to take place.

"We're hoping the petition might reach 2,000 signatures because it can then be heard by full council.

"Since this is not the first time the Moor has been threatened with development, we have plans to protect it both short term and more permanently by registering the plot as an asset of community value to give it some protection, and then to get it designated as a recognised nature reserve similar to Cromwell Bottom.

"We've been told there will be a consultation soon to find out local feelings on the golf club's proposals, so we'll be encouraging people to take part in that.

"Getting it recognised as a nature reserve is the best way to protect it long term, but that's going to take a lot of people working together to push that through."

Natalie added: "People feel really strongly about it, particularly as people are starting to realise our rights around access to green space are being restricted, that there's lots of plans to build on green belt.

"I think that's the main issue, that people are recognising that these are public assets, they belong to all of us and that they're at risk of being lost to private entities. There's a real strength of feeling around that."

In a statement, The Friends of Roils Head Moor group said: "We are dedicated to protecting, conserving and enhancing Roils Head Moor as a place which will best serve the whole of the local community.

"We believe that the moor should be in community ownership so that it can be used by all sections of the community as a recreational area.

"We aim to work together with the community and other partners to ensure that it continues to be an important resource for local people to enjoy.

"We will be encouraging residents to have their say in the forthcoming consultation to ensure that their wishes are taken into account."

Coun Silvia Dacre, Calderdale Council’s Cabinet Member for Resources, said: “Discussions have taken place with Warley Ward Councillors about the proposals for Roils Head Moor, and they are due to start a consultation on the proposals with the local community soon.

“We take all community concerns seriously and welcome any petitions that are submitted to the Council as one of a variety of ways for local people to let us know their views and concerns, in addition to activities such as consultations. We consider all petitions in line with the process in our petition scheme, and we notify petition organisers of the response once the process is complete.”

Coun James Baker (Lib Dem, Warley) said: "The proposals from the golf club for Roils Head Moor are still under consideration by the Council.

"As ward Councillors our job is to represent the views of the community to the officers and members of the Council's cabinet who would make a decision.

"We would like to see a further public consultation undertaken to determine whether people support the plans, and have asked for all parties to come together to discuss what form this consultation should take.

"Before the pandemic there had been a public meeting where the majority present appeared to support the proposals, as they included improvements to play and sporting facilities on the Moor.

"However the lockdowns did change many people's attitudes toward local open spaces, and this large petition would suggest the public mood has shifted more against the idea.

"We will support whatever the community wants to see happen, and we hope the administration in control of Calderdale takes the same view."

Halifax West End Golf Club were contacted by the Courier to comment, but have so far failed to do so.

To view the petition, visit https://www.change.org/KeepRoilsHeadMoorPublic.