A determined group of neighbours has been galvanised to formalise its residents’ association by superstore proposals which they say make living on “an island surrounded by traffic” even worse.

The Hall Royd Area Residents’ Association in Shipley has been running for about 18 months, but has recently formed a steering committee and constitution so it can get more recognition and apply for grants.

Committee member Wilf Brooks said the planning application for a superstore at Crossley Evans scrap yard, off Otley Road in Shipley, had “concentrated people’s minds.”

Joan Milligan, who lives in Hall Royd, added: “When it comes to objecting, we were told that people making comments doesn’t work, but objecting as an association makes more of an impact.”

Opposing the supermarket is one of the association’s main priorities. The group is concerned about the additional traffic it would create, the adverse impact on wildlife living in trees on the site and the loss of skilled jobs at the scrap yard, Member Chris Warner said: “We’d be sandwiched between Asda and the scrap yard supermarket.”

Mrs Milligan added: “I and others think it would make our lives unbearable if there was a lot more traffic around us. We already feel as though we live on an island surrounded by traffic.”

Mr Brooks said the development could not be justified and referred to the Council’s Shipley and Canal Road Corridor Area Action Plan. It states that any future development of the Crossley Evans site should be for waste management “unless an exceptional justification can be made for the loss of the site as part of the district’s waste management infrastructure.”

“Exceptional – abnormal, anomalous, irregular, peculiar, rare, strange, uncommon, unusual – none of those applies, it’s a supermarket they want,” he said. “People say there’s already a supermarket in Shipley. There’s actually two, Asda and Aldi. We won’t use the Otley Road one, it’s across four lanes of traffic.”

He said people would prefer smaller convenience stores in the town centre.

“That would get people into the town centre and support local businesses. There’s some lovely shops in Shipley.”

The Association covers Hall Royd and surrounding streets, including Birklands Road, which are used by drivers taking a short cut to avoid Otley Road. The group also hopes to organise an outdoor gym and new bench and bin in the park on Westcliffe Road.

Joan Milligan, of Hall Royd, said: “We want to survey everybody and explain what we would like to do with the area to make it better.”