COUNCILLORS today gave the go-ahead for five new houses, despite the plans being recommended for refusal by their own planning officers.

Following a lengthy debate and a site visit, the councillors decided to pass the proposals for the large, detached houses on the top half of a steeply sloping field off Spring Gardens Lane, Keighley.

This application had provoked 126 objections and 59 submissions in support, as well as angry claims of fraudulent supporting messages from "false" names on Bradford Council's online planning portal.

But speaking in support of going against the planning officers' recommendation, Cllr Doreen Lee argued: "I don't think this will harm the conservation area.

"We've got to build 5,000 houses in our area and at least this would provide five of those houses. It may only be five out of 5,000, but I'd rather they be here than in green belt.

"I've done this for a long time and I've turned down many applications, but I don't have a problem with this.

"It's an urban field site, not a green field site and we do need new houses."

Objecting to the plans at the Keighley and Shipley Area Planning Panel meeting, local resident Gordon Lingard said the vehicle entrance to the new homes would be near the extremely dangerous, existing junction of Shann Lane and Spring Gardens Lane.

He added the development would disturb wildlife and exacerbate current drainage problems in a part of Keighley where water regularly wells up out of the ground and cascades downhill during winter.

Bradford's planning officers had also argued in favour of rejecting the application, stating it would harm the adjoining Devonshire Park and Cliffe Castle Conservation Area.

Their written report said: "The development would take place on a steeply sloping undeveloped field that is prominent to views from public land and across the Airedale Valley.

"It would significantly reduce the open and green character of the area, which is defined as Urban Greenspace.

"The positive contribution the site makes in its present form would not be outweighed by any public benefits of development."

However agent for the applicant, Mike Ainsworth, pointed out that council Highways and Drainage officers have raised no objections.

He said the border of trees on the Spring Gardens Lane side of the site already effectively blocks the view across the Aire Valley, so building the new houses would not destroy any views.

Mr Ainsworth said the closest any of the houses would be to a tree would be 13.5 metres, and noted that the only tree which would need to be removed is actually diseased.

Cllr Cath Bacon said that as planning permission already exists to build four houses on the lower half of the field, she did not think adding another five higher up the site would make a big impact.

Cllr Mike Pollard said: "I'm a defender of Urban Greenspace policy, but as the lower part of the field has been approved for housing that decision has already damaged the Urban Greenspace criteria. I'm torn on this one.

"I am very much against the damaging of the setting of conservation areas."

The planning panel voted to approve the application by five votes in favour to one abstention.