A HOLIDAY site has been ordered to demolish its cabins after tearing down ancient 500-year-old trees without permission.
The firm has been slapped with an enforcement notice demanding it removes all constructions and 300 replacement trees.
Jacobs Hill Farm, where the council has issued an enforcement notice Credit: SWNS
Ancient woodland was allegedly felled to clear land for the holiday cabins Credit: SWNS
The owner, Turkish company Azara Gida San, has been ordered to tear down the cabin foundations, roads and concrete bases on the site.
Metropolitan District Council issued the enforcement notice for the 33-acre plot in Silsden, , claiming the works were made without planning permission.
It further accused the company of chopping down hundreds of trees in the ancient woodland without permission.
Now, the notice demands the site be reverted back to its previous state – and 300 new trees planted to replace the ones which had stood on the site for as many as five centuries.
The owner is appealing the notice, claiming it is an ‘innocent party’ Credit: Bradford Council
The notice claims there is a track built without planning permission on the land Credit: SWNS
Five large concrete bases have been built in the past five years, according to the council, with holiday built on four of these sites.
Jacobs Wood Farm has also had four septic tanks installed and an access road, all without permission, the enforcement notice alleged.
The council said the precious woodland boasts rich “ground flora” which is “important for wildlife” including protected species such as bats and breeding .
The enforcement notice read: “The unauthorised works are considered to have a harmful effect on the openness of the green belt to the extent that it is not preserved.
“The development of the wooded area has resulted in substantial tree loss, altering the character and appearance of the area, resulting in a harmful urbanising effect that diminishes the special character and appearance of the Airedale Landscape which is typically upland pastures with wooded inclines.”
Azara Gida San also added it should not be required to plant 300 trees, as that was more than had been removed.
The enforcement notice comes after a Temporary Stop Notice was previously enforced by the council in September 2025 after they became aware of “unauthorised development” being completed the same February.
It “prohibited” the works and ordered them to “cease”.
Council chiefs have since demanded that all land changes be reversed in six months from March 3.
It further mandated that 300 trees be replanted by March 2027 to repair the “irreplaceable” woodland they allege has been lost.
The firm which owns the land has appealed the notice, arguing it is an “innocent party” and claiming works were completed before they bought the plot.
The appeal further claimed that it was “too late” for enforcement action to take place as the construction had “become immune, due to the passage of time”.
Their appeal added: “The erected buildings on site provide holiday let accommodation, which will complement the existing permitted holiday lets on site and support the local economy through job creation and the wider network through the use local suppliers.”
But Bradford Council argued these claims were not good enough.
It responded to say the “small benefit” of promoting tourism did not justify “demonstrable harm to the greenbelt”.
The council added: “The appellant contends that the development is immune from enforcement action by reason of the passage of time, however, Earth images demonstrate that there is no evidence of development taking place on the land prior to May 2025.”
“Three hundred trees are required by the notice because this is the number necessary to restore the woodland character of Area 6, not to replace individual trees on a like‑for‑like basis.”
The planning inquiry following the firm’s appeal is set to be held in July.
The Sun has contacted Bradford Council for comment.
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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