Conservationists fear plans to infill a disused quarry to upgrade a golf course will wipe out an orchid once thought extinct.

Campaigners say Woodhall Quarry at Calverley is one of just two sites in the north of England where the early marsh orchid grows.

The pink-flowered plant was officially declared extinct in West Yorkshire's 1989 Plant Atlas but a member of Bradford Urban Wildlife Group discovered it growing in the quarry ten years ago.

Earlier this week the group pleaded with Leeds West planners not to pass the infill plan at Woodhall Hills Golf Club but it still went ahead.

Now conservationists fear the precious orchid's days are numbered and it will once again become extinct in this part of the country.

Les Barnett, founding president of the group, said the quarry, last used 22 years ago, had also become a haven for other wildlife including 15 species of butterflies, frogs, newts, insects and birds including owls.

Leeds City Council's senior mineral's officer Clive Saul told the Panel a fenced-off area in the southern area of the quarry would be created and that the bio-diversity of the site would increase as it matured.

He acknowledged there would be a risk in transplanting the orchids there but said they were at risk anyway from trespassers and motorcycle scramblers.

Mr Barnett said today he doubted the orchids would survive the move for long.

He said: "I'm very sad that we are interfering with nature just for the sake of giving a golf course extra space.

"It's unlikely we'll get permission for our group to monitor the move while work in ongoing because of health and safety reasons but we are hoping, despite opposing the plan, to have a good relationship with the golf course so that we will be allowed to visit the site and see how the orchids are getting on.

"People think transplanting plants can be easy but wild ones are very different to ones that grow in our garden. Wild plants such as the early marsh orchids are very selective about where they grow.

"If they weren't, they wouldn't be so rare and need protecting."

A spokesman for Leeds Council said: "None of the flora species found within the site have any statutory protection.

"Once created, this area will be protected from trespass and managed for at least 20 years, ensuring that the species are given the best chance of survival in the long term. Fully-qualified ecologists will oversee the works and there will also be input from local wildlife groups."

Woodhall Hills Golf Club was unavailable for comment.