Almost 500 people have objected to plans by Hargreaves Land Limited to build housing on land to the north of Harden Lane in Wilsden, including Wilsden Parish Council. There are fears the development could “merge” the village with neighbouring Harden. The proposed development has been dubbed “Wilsden Fold” and the application describes it as “an exciting opportunity to create a sustainably located and sensitively designed extension to Wilsden.” One of the concerns is that new housing would “merge Wilsden and Harden and cause loss of rural identity.” Wilsden Parish Council said it “strongly objects” to the application, calling it “a speculative, opportunistic proposal, submitted outside the plan-led process.”