PLANNING chiefs were today expected to oppose an Ilkley engineering firm's plan to build offices on green belt land.

Bradford Council planning officers were asking members of Keighley Area Planning Panel to recommend the refusal of permission to The NG Bailey Company Organisation for offices and a caretaker's house on the site of a Coutances Way caravan showroom and a former filling station.

But the final decision cannot be taken by councillors on the Keighley committee, and will go before the council's Regulatory and Appeals Committee - as the site is within designated green belt land in Bradford Councils revised Unitary Development Plan (UDP).

The firm must demonstrate 'very special circumstances' for building in the green belt.

Fears over the site included the future of other businesses which are currently based on the site, the impact on the green belt surroundings, and claims that the approach to Ilkley would lose its rural character if offices were built on Coutances Way.

And council officers say they need to know if NG Bailey plans to move out of its other Ilkley bases - Denton Hall and the Grade II** listed Edwardian building Heathcote, on King's Road.

Ilkley planning officer, Martyn Burke, said: "As officers we don't feel they've come up with a particularly convincing case that there are very special circumstances.

"They're telling us they've been looking for another site within Ilkley and they've had a look at various sites over a number of years, but not really demonstrated exactly why they need the additional accommodation, and how seriously the sites have been examined."

Four letters of objection were sent to planning officers.

There were claims that the site could be put to better use for craft workshops or tourism, and that there would be little employment benefit to the town as the jobs could be moved from elsewhere in Ilkley. Extra traffic, noise and light pollution could also affect a nearby nature reserve, it was claimed.

Plans indicate that the two-storey office building would house around 120 employees, and there would be a 70-space car park.

Mr Burke said highways officers feared there could be too little car parking for the number of employees - but there were also worries that more car parking and alterations to the road junction would, change the character of the area.

However, Ilkley Civic Society, was impressed with the general design of the project and attention to detail. The civic society said it had long been concerned about the state of the land on the main entrance to Ilkley. Members said they would support the plan subject to appropriate traffic management on the A65, and the developer enhancing the nature reserve.

And Ilkley Parish Council has expressed support in principle, but is yet to make a recommendation on the plan, after its planning committee deferred their decision awaiting further evidence of very special circumstances for developing the site.

Bradford Council planning officers also say they would like to see something done with the Coutances Way site.

The NG Bailey Organisation told planners no other suitable site was available, that the only alternative would be to relocate the company outside the Bradford District, and said the development would result in a significant visual improvement on the site.

The firm will be invited to speak in support of its plan at today's planning meeting. The plan is expected to go before Bradford Council's Regulatory and Appeals Committee early in February.

The NG Bailey Organisation made no comment on the plan.