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Otley pub battlers take fight to folk festival
CAMPAIGNERS fighting for the re-opening of a local pub took the battle to their town's annual folk festival.
The Summer Cross pub in Otley shut last year and was sold to developers who want to use the site for housing.
The Summercross is the only pub on the east side of the town.
Otley hosted its annual folk festival at the weekend that attracted hundreds of visitors.
The pub campaigners leafleted concerts and dances to win support.
"The pub was closed down by the former owners a couple of weeks after last year's folk festival and bought by Chartford Homes, who now want to build homes on it," said campaign leader Shirley Lewis.
"Many festivalgoers were shocked to see the pub had closed as it was the first port of call on the folk festival circuit.
"We saw the folk festival as an ideal opportunity to let as many people as possible know that yet another profitable pub had been closed."
Leeds North West MP and campaign member Greg Mulholland said: "The Folk Festival brings a real buzz to Otley, and music fans coming here for the weekend were greeted by a fenced off Summer Cross because of the greed of Chartford Homes who want to bulldoze the place and replace it with a money-spinning development against local people's wishes.
"It's time for Chartford Homes to admit they shouldn't have bought it, especially now with the downturn in the house building industry, and sell it to someone who will re-open the pub."
Earlier this year, Leeds City Council planners threw out an application to demolish the pub, along with an application to construct 14 houses.
The campaign's website is at www.sosotley.org.uk.
Chartford Homes did not want to comment.
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Saturday 11 February 2012
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