COUNCILLORS look set to overrule residents' objections to a new housing development in Ilkley.

Planning officers are recommending members of the Area Planning Panel (Keighley/Shipley) grant permission for the demolition of an existing house and the construction of eight new homes at The Sidings, Station Approach, Ben Rhydding.

The application has been referred to the panel by two Ilkley ward councillors who are objecting to the development. Ilkley Town Council has strongly recommended the refusal of the application on grounds of the lack of access to the properties, extreme over development of the area, poor quality of design and not in keeping with the area.

It has also attracted 22 formal objections from Ilkley residents who say: it is an over-intensive development of a highly restricted site with severe access limitations; that the proposed houses are too tall; the design is not in keeping and the site is very close to the conservation area of Ben Rhydding; they would have an overbearing impact on neighbouring properties resulting in the loss of privacy; lack of parking and turning space with cause access and egress problems; adding eight more houses to the area will make busy traffic worse; access would cut across a footway; the addition of more housing using congested station car park to access their homes will only exacerbate congestion around the station and increase the risk of accident; it will result in increased noise and there are worries about increased drainage to surface water and sewers.

However, planning officers have consulted with Network Rail, highways officers, its drainage section and rights of way officers who all raise no objections in principle to the development.

A report to go before a meeting of Bradford Council's Area Planning Panel on Wednesday, August 29, informs councillors the land is unallocated but was previously developed and stands in a sustainable location within a built up area, next to a railway station and close the services and facilities of Ben Rhydding.

The report continues: "The district continues to have a shortfall in the supply of land for housing and paragraph 59 of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) urges local planning authorities to support the Government's objective of significantly boosting the supply of homes by ensuring that a sufficient amount and variety of land can come forward where it is needed."

It adds: "...there is no reason on planning grounds why this land should not be developed for housing - providing site specific planning constraints can be overcome through the design process."

If councillors agree with planning officers and grant permission for the development conditions of approval would include construction work being carried out between the hours of 7.30am and 6pm Monday to Fridays and 7.30am to 1pm on Saturdays and at no time on Sundays, bank or public holidays.