Concerns have been raised about the future of planning services across the Aire Valley.

Bradford Council has not ruled out the possibility of the Shipley and Keighley planning panels merging.

Sources in the town halls at Shipley and Bingley say the Council is considering creating one Aire Valley planning office, possibly based in Bingley.

At present, the public can go to Shipley Town Hall, on Kirkgate, or Keighley Town Hall, on Bow Street, to inspect plans.

The change could mean people having to travel further to view plans. But members of the two panels, which currently meet separately, are opposed to the idea.

Councillor Robin Owens, chairman of Shipley Area Planning Panel, said: "I don't think one office could deal with the sheer volume of work.

"The panel would probably have to meet twice as often, which would be stupid. I know the Council is reviewing various aspects of the planning system to make it more efficient.

"I have heard that combining the two is a possibility but whether everything will lead to Bingley Town Hall, I don't know."

Councillor Catherine Rowen, who sits on the Keighley Area Planning Panel, said: "I won't be happy if this goes ahead. Local planning decisions need to be made in the area to which they refer, to allow people who want to make representations to attend.

"I wanted to sit on Keighley Planning Panel because I know a lot of the area and that local knowledge is crucial when we make a planning decision."

Councillor Phillip Thornton, who sits on the Shipley Planning Panel, said: "An area benefits from local knowledge and to remove that aspect would be unfortunate."

A Bradford Council spokesman said: "We are looking at all sorts of options on how we can improve the services we offer to the local community."