A debate was held last night at a meeting of Bradford Council prompted by a 1,700-name petition against turning a greenfield site in Baildon into a hi-tech business park.

Dr Steven Walker, of campaign group BRAiD (Baildon Residents Against Inappropriate Development) presented the petition about the 15-acre Buck Lane site, thought to be one of the largest the authority has ever received.

He said: “This is another attempt at pushing at the green periphery while ignoring the brownfield centre.”

He added the land was contaminated, job creation numbers for the development were continually changing, and there were other more suitable locations for the project.

Conservative Councillor Debbie Davies, who represents Baildon, said the size of the petition showed the strength of feeling of local people, and she warned of a lack of interest from hi-tech businesses, leading to an under-used site.

However, Councillor Susan Hinchcliffe, Labour’s portfolio holder for employment and skills, said the site was low-grade agricultural land and had been allocated for employment since the late 1980s. She also hinted that businesses from outside the district were looking to invest in the site, adding that the Council would be failing in its duty if it did not bring these jobs to the district.

The matter was referred to the Council’s executive for further consideration.