CAMPAIGNERS have spoken of their disappointment after a major housing development was given the all-clear by planners.

Skipton Properties was today granted permission to build 104 homes, including 16 affordable homes, on green fields off Ryedale Way, Allerton, Bradford.

The decision was taken at Bradford Council's Regulatory and Appeals Committee today, which had deferred a decision on the matter twice at previous meetings.

The committee discussed concerns over drainage, sustainability, highways safety, the new homes overlooking other properties, the type of housing, potential contamination of the site and whether the developer could fund a footpath upgrade.

Agent John Steel said Skipton Properties was offering community contributions worth £1.354 million, under Section 106 agreements, for local schools, open spaces and affordable homes.

The committee eventually approved the application, with committee member Councillor Doreen Lee saying: "We have looked at this long and hard. I think we have done everything the petitioners have asked us to."

Afterwards, objector Josiah Sulc said he was "very disappointed" with the result.

He said: "There are derelict sites within half a mile that would take five times the housing that has been approved.

"This is an ancient field that has now been permanently removed."

The committee also granted outline planning consent for a plan for around 14 homes on pasture land off Wilsden Road, Sandy Lane, Bradford.

Councillor Malcolm Sykes raised concerns about a nearby pond, which he said was "more like a lake".

He said in recent years this had flooded, with residents having to evacuate their homes.

But Melissa Wilson, agent for Springfield Land Limited, said while the applicant did not own the land the pond was in, she agreed to pass on a request for them to look into the issue.

And Bradford Council itself was granted permission for a new complex for the elderly in Saltaire.

The scheme will be built on the site of the now-demolished Ferncliffe Court care home and Neville Grange day centre.

It includes 45 apartments for the elderly, as well as 20 en-suite bedrooms to provide short-term care for those recovering from an illness or crisis.

Cllr Lee said: "We need this facility."

But fellow committee member, Councillor Malcolm Sykes, said he had concerns over the use of red brick, which English Heritage was not keen on so close to Saltaire village, and called for the designers to look again at this.