THERE will be “severe” damage to local woodland if planners approve the latest phase of a new urban village in Bradford, ecologists have warned.

Bradford Council has teamed up with development firm Urbo Regeneration on the New Bolton Woods scheme, which aims to create a £150 million ‘urban village’ of 1,000 homes between Bradford and Shipley.

The latest phase of development, for 145 homes off Poplars Park Road, is recommended for approval at a planning committee on Thursday.

But the plans have been met with dismay from ecological experts, who fear for the impact on two areas of woodland, one to the north and one to the south of the site, which would both see losses of around a third of their trees.

Bradford Council’s own landscape design team has warned that the current plans would see around 200 trees lost in total.

Their statement says: “The proposed site contains many important trees and in particular the large wood that constitutes a significant part of a Bradford wildlife site.

“These trees are also a significant landscape landmark feature along the Canal Road corridor.”

The West Yorkshire Ecological Service, which operates on behalf of West Yorkshire’s five local authorities, has also raised the alarm about the “severe” loss of woodland.

Of the woods to the north, it says: “This woodland is developing good structure and includes native woodland ground flora, particularly bluebell not found elsewhere within the proposal site.”

But Bradford Council planning department has recommended the scheme for approval, saying the applicants plan to plant more than 250 replacement trees throughout the scheme.

Their report says the scheme’s viability is dependent on building all 145 homes. It also relies on a sizeable grant from the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership, and a condition of this funding is that work must begin by January 2018.

The report to the committee acknowledges that some of the concerns raised “have not been fully addressed” and that “a number of compromises have been made” on the housing layout to secure the funding.

At the same meeting, councillors will also decide on a separate application by Incommunities and a developer to build 41 homes on land at Arthur Street, Thorpe Edge.