PLANS to build nine commercial units on a patch of land on a flood plain in Keighley have been given the green light.

The land, which is also roughly half in the green belt, is to the north of Royd Ings Avenue, next to the A629 and the River Aire.

Bradford Council’s planning department had recommended the application be refused, but members of the Regulatory and Appeals Committee voted by six votes to one to approve the plans, subject to being sent to the Secretary of State for approval.

The eight structures, which will house nine commercial units, along with the access road, are proposed to be built on stilts to alleviate the flood risk and allow the land to still be used for flooding.

The space underneath the units will be open, lined with a mesh grill to allow water and wildlife to pass through but prevent debris from collecting under the buildings.

Car parking - with space for 353 cars, 22 of which will be disabled bays - will also be at the higher end of the development to avoid flood risk.

Of the 26.4 acre site, 53% is situated in the greenbelt, something Councillor Alun Griffiths (Lib Dem, Idle & Thackley) and a number of objectors raised concerns about, and Councillors were told there would need to be “very special circumstances" to justify building on the green belt.

The site has also previously been used as an employment site, and it was said there were no other similar sites available for development in the town.

Councillor Doreen Lee (Labour, Keighley East) said she was in support of the development.

She said: “I am passionate about Keighley and at the end of this month will be the loss of one of the biggest shops in the town.

“We need jobs in Keighley and I hope there are special circumstances to overturn recommendations, because we need the jobs.

“There have been concerns about toads and frogs, and as a member of Riddlesden Save the Toads and Frogs the bridge we use is nowhere near this site.

“This is thinking outside the box and bringing us into the 21st Century.”

She also pointed out the land has not flooded since 2003, with work is being done in North Yorkshire to try and reduce the risk of flooding further downstream, and there are no other sites of this scale left in Keighley.

Cllr Glen Miller (Conservative, Worth Valley) said he also supported the plans, but wanted strict conditions put on the development.

He called for solar panels and electric car charging points to be installed, and that the developer be obliged to carry out “regular and recorded clearing of debris”.

Piping is also being installed underground at the site to try and limit the amount of flooding.

An agreement was reached on conditions for approving the plans, which will now be sent to to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government.