More than 5,000 people have objected to plans for 475 homes on green fields near Bingley, ahead of a crunch meeting tonight.

Campaigners from Greenhill Action Group (GAG) have mobilised massive support against plans by developers to build near Sty Lane, Micklethwaite.

They claim the area of natural beauty next to the Leeds-Liverpool canal will be unable to cope.

And they say the main access to the proposed homes – a swing bridge across the canal in Micklethwaite Lane – will cause major traffic disruption. By yesterday two petitions gathered by the campaign group had 4,000 and 1,500 signatures respectively.

Bradford Council has also received more than 400 letters of opposition.

GAG chairman Terry Brown said he expected “substantially” more after tonight’s meeting at Bingley Grammar School.

“It is great that there has been so many objections,” he said. “Now we have to encourage others to make their own objections because it is the weight of numbers that will help us show the Council and the developers how local people feel.”

Residents fought off efforts to build on the site in 2003, when 660 people opposed the plans. In March this year, they again prepared to fight a new application by Redrow Homes (Yorkshire) Ltd and Bellway Homes.

The developers submitted the planning application along with plans for the new swing bridge and new accesses off Sty Lane and Micklethwaite Lane, and access off Fairfax Road. Mr Brown said people would be able to show the “strength of feeling” against the latest plans tonight.

John Eyles, Bradford Council’s major development manager, will give a short presentation about the planning process and residents will get a chance to inspect the plans and ask questions.

Mr Eyles will be part of a panel including Mr Brown and a senior traffic engineer from the Council.

Shipley area co-ordinator Chris Flecknoe, who will chair the meeting, said: “It is about people being well-informed about the planning process and asking questions about it if they so wish.”