FURTHER concerns have been raised over controversial plans to turn part of a former tramsheds site in Thornbury into a tyre disposal yard.

Officers from Bradford Council's highways and environmental health departments have said they cannot support the proposal in its current state, citing "unacceptable" access to the site and an "adverse noise impact" on nearby residents.

Jacks Tyres, one of the firms based on the 8,500sqm of land on Leeds Road, re-applied to Bradford Council for partly-retrospective planning permission last month to bale tonnes of waste tyres on the site.

A different section of the yard was targeted by arsonists in June, with more than 1,000 tyres set alight in a huge blaze which forced some local residents to flee their homes.

In the planning statement accompanying the application, the developer acting for Jacks Tyres - Baildon-based Fineline Architectural Design Ltd - said HGVs would take waste tyres onto the site and remove baled tyres at least four times a week, possibly on a daily basis.

The firm submitted a series of drawings detailing how the lorries would gain access to the yard, but the plans have been criticised in a consultation response from the Council's highways team.

Highway officer Aftab Rashid said: "The assessments show that an articulated vehicle cannot turn left in to the site, or left out of the site, without using the whole carriageway, thereby conflicting with oncoming traffic, nearby bus stops, and on-street parking.

"The stopping and turning of articulated vehicles at this location would also obstruct the free flow of traffic and lead to congestion and delays along this busy transport corridor.

"There are also areas for concern within the site with articulated vehicles requiring the width of the entire access road to manoeuvre.

"The proposed site access is therefore unacceptable and would give rise to significant highway safety concerns.

"In view of the above, I am unable to support approval of this application."

In a separate response from the authority's environmental health team, council officer Brian Fairclough writes: "I am concerned that this proposal will have an adverse noise impact upon the occupiers of nearby residential dwellings.

"I am also concerned that the tight turning circle will require heavy goods vehicles to undertake additional manoeuvres in order that they will be correctly positioned.

"This too will lead to an increase in vehicle noise.

"This being the case, the developer should provide a full written report predicting the likely noise impact the introduction of a tyre waste disposal site will have upon the occupiers of nearby dwellings.

"Until the concerns are addressed, I cannot support this application."

Andrew Barlow, of Fineline Architectural Design Ltd, said yesterday he was due to speak to Jack's Tyres to see how his client wanted to proceed with the application.

In an earlier consultation response, West Yorkshire Police said it was unable to support the plans as the tyres being kept on the site "could easily be set alight and cause the same fire devastation as before."

Public consultation on the proposals is now closed, with the plans attracting around 40 objections on-line, ranging from local Bradford residents to people in the USA, Canada, Australia, and Germany.