Regeneration is the buzz word amongst the chambers of Bradford Council, unless that is, you live in Saltaire or its neighbouring estates. There is an irony here; following the decline of Yorkshire’s textile industry, the model village built by Titus Salt to house the workers of his state-of-the-art mill, was once so rundown there was talk of demolition. A few decades on and it is a thriving community with a hugely successful annual festival and attracts several hundred thousand visitors a year. Not only has it won a string of awards celebrating its triumph in regeneration, it has also achieved the highest possible international accolade – a place on UNESCO’s list of World Heritage Sites. A shame then, Bradford Council is willing to throw it away.

Action Airedale is a conglomeration of businesses established to promote and regenerate the Aire Valley. They have announced plans - developed behind firmly closed doors - to construct a bypass to combat the traffic congestion inflicted on the village following the opening of the Bingley Bypass. The residents of Saltaire have been told there is no need to get themselves worked up – it’s only a concept. But an attendee of this week’s meeting of the Saltaire Village Society claimed they have been told by Cllr Hawkesworth – one of the two founders of Action Airedale - that the bypass will go ahead.

The route of the bypass flanks the boundary of the World Heritage Site and tunnels beneath the village itself. Whilst the pollution, vibration and possible physical damage caused by the tunnel will put the fabric of the village at risk, the road itself will destroy the magnificent views into and out of the village – views which the Council has made clear in its own planning policies, are essential for the character of this unique place.

The bypass will also destroy houses, carve through greenbelt, recreation areas, the Conservation Area of the Leeds-Liverpool canal, and ancient woodland inscribed on the national inventory of trees and further ‘protected’ by Council Area Tree Preservation Orders. But perhaps most callously of all, it will plough through the Woodland Garden of Rest at Nab Wood Cemetery. Nice. And all at the bargain price of £140 million – well for now at least….

Proposed developments within view of the World Heritage Sites of Liverpool Docks, the Tower of London and the Palace of Westminster are all on the agenda for the meeting of UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee later this month. If a UK site is stripped of its World Heritage status, it will be highly embarrassing and have serious international repercussions. If Bradford Council’s plans continue, it won’t be too long before Saltaire finds itself on the same agenda and facing the same threat.

This may prove particularly testing for Saltaire's MP Philip Davis, a co-founder of Action Airedale and a key backer of the bypass plan. The Tory MP is a member of the All Party Parliamentary Committee for World Heritage Sites and also sits on the Select Committee of Culture, Media and Sport which oversees the Department of the same name. Earlier this year, the Department published a White Paper seeking to strengthen protection for World Heritage Sites and the areas surrounding them.

Whilst lesser men would have retired to the country to count out their riches, Titus Salt gave up his fortune to build the village and help make better the lives of those he felt responsible for. Perhaps the greatest testament to the man is that an estimated twelve hundred thousand mourners lined the snow covered streets to watch him make his final journey to the village to be buried. His body lies in the mausoleum beneath the church he built, not too far off from where the tunnel will emerge. The developments proposed by Bradford Council – a city of which he was once Mayor - will have him shaking in his grave. Literally.

Follow these links for more information about Saltaire and the Saltaire Village Society. A map of the proposed route can be found here.