THE DEBATE to decide on plans for a controversial new cemetery near Keighley Tarn will take place at the start of next month.

Councillor David Warburton, chairman of Bradford Council's Regulatory and Appeals Committee confirmed the application was on the agenda for the committee's meeting on Tuesday, September 1.

The meeting begins at 10am, and will be held in Bradford City Hall.

The same committee deferred making a decision on this application in June, after receiving a detailed, late objection to the plans.

Proposals for the privately-run cemetery have provoked a huge public reaction in Keighley, with hundreds of people going online to submit objections or letters of support.

Cllr Warburton said the Regulatory and Appeals Committee normally met on Thursdays, but added that this latest meeting has been brought forward to a Monday to avoid a clash with another function being held in the City Hall banqueting hall.

The September 1 meeting date has been criticised by one objector to the plans, Keighley resident Malcolm Balmforth. He warned that it would mean many members of the public wanting to attend would be unable to do so.

He said: "It's straight after the bank holiday, when people are either just starting work or taking an extra day to go to the Kilnsey Show. It does not give objectors a fair chance to object."

The applicant, Keighley Community Cemetery, wants to build the cemetery on the former Braithwaite Edge Quarry and Landfill site, saying it could accommodate 1,500 to 2,000 burial plots.