MYSTERY regarding land ownership has delayed plans to tidy up an eyesore site in Keighley.

Residents in the Westfell area, off Fell Lane, teamed up with ward councillors to spruce up the derelict site.

They wanted to cut back vegetation, prune trees and carry out new planting on the triangle of scrubland in Westfell Way.

District councillor Adrian Farley, who is spearheading the initiative, said money had been secured from several funding pots to help carry out the facelift.

But the volunteers did not dare go ahead until they can confirm they have permission to carry out the works.

He said: “We can’t do anything until we find out who owns it. There could be issues of insurance and liability.

“What people want to do is clean the land up and do some planting so there’s something nice to look at.”

Cllr Farley, who represents Keighley West ward on Bradford Council, said the national Land Registry lists the site as ‘unregistered’, meaning it has not changed ownership since before 1970.

He added: “There are no records. We’re having to go to the West Yorkshire Archives at Wakefield to look for evidence.”

Some residents claim they had owned a strip of the land.

Cllr Farley said: “When we had a consultation event last year, an elderly man said he owned part of the land and other residents owned part of it, too.

“They say it was on their deeds and they handed it to Bradford Council, but the council says it doesn’t own it.”

Cllr Farley said it could be assumed social landlord Yorkshire Housing owned the site because they owned the houses that surround it, but Yorkshire Housing also has no records of ownership.

Efforts to brighten up the Westfell Way land began last year after residents approached Cllr Farley.

He teamed up with Bradford Council-funded community workers Pip Gibson and Karen Wadsworth to hold an outdoor public meeting last summer.

They set up a stall on the land and chatted with people living in nearby streets while serving them tea and coffee, funded with £500 from Yorkshire Housing.

Bradford Council officers launched an investigation into the land’s ownership, which proved unsuccessful.

Yorkshire Housing hosted a Christmas fun day last December at its nearby Salisbury Road office, where ideas for improving the site were unveiled. But they have all been put on ice until the ownership issue is resolved.