Plans for a modern urban village in Baildon cleared the first hurdle yesterday.

Members of Shipley Area Planning Committee voted to approve plans for the village despite objections from councillors and residents.

The application is by hi-tech company Filtronic to build a hotel, shop, offices and homes on a green field site next to Buck Lane off Otley Road.

The land, originally green belt, had its designation changed for it to be used for employment in 1999.

At the meeting Councillor John Briggs (Lib Dem, Baildon) said allowing the housing element would bring the planning process into "disrepute".

According to the original plans the company wanted to build 94 apartments but this has been cut to 60 two bedroom flats, with ten of these being "affordable units".

Coun Briggs said: "There is a real danger in that we keep building on greenfield and brownfield sites."

He added: "What is so special about this that we have to bend the rules? If we approve these plans we leave ourselves open to all sorts of charges."

But Councillor Paul Flowers (Lab, Great Horton) described his objections as "the most scandalous playing to the gallery that I ever heard at the planning panel".

He said building houses on the site was a minor departure from the original plans for good economic reasons and because of this should be approved.

Bradford Council received 45 letters of objection, 22 from residents in Thackley who are concerned about the loss of green fields and the generation of noise and pollution.

Bradford Chamber of Trade and the Shipley Town Partnership also questioned the need for a new hotel and expressed concerns the retail unit could expand in the future, adversely affecting existing town centres.

The Environment Agency had expressed concerns that the new development would be situated on an area that was subject to flooding.

But Bradford Council area planning manager Peter Bridgeman said an assessment carried out in 1999 when the original application was lodged found flooding levels to be far lower than required by today's safety standards.

The approval was granted subject to a number of conditions, the main one being a full assessment of internal access roads and car parking areas.

Filtronic employs 3,900 worldwide, with 774 at its Saltaire headquarters and 240 at Charlestown, Baildon.

The application is due to go before a Regulatory and Appeals Committee in City Hall on May 23.