Residents are calling for action over the sudden demolition of Wibsey Park Lodge amid fears the site might be contaminated with asbestos.

Gordon Peel, who lives opposite the park, attended a meeting of the Friends of Wibsey Park group this week where concerns over the possible presence of asbestos in the building were raised.

Mr Peel told the Telegraph & Argus that the building was largely demolished within a week, but it emerged at Monday night’s meeting that there were concerns the lodge had contained asbestos.

“When I heard about the potential for asbestos in the building, I wanted to make sure that something would be done about it.” he said.

“There was talk at the meeting about the asbestos now being buried under the rubble, and that there had been fires on the site to burn some wood.

“We don’t want dangerous particles to be released into the air.

“When they come to clear the bricks and rubble from the site, if there is any asbestos, it will end up being dug up again.

“It’s particularly worrying given the way the building has been demolished without the right paperwork in place.”

Local councillor David Green (Lab, Wibsey) also attended the meeting and has contacted the Council about the asbestos fears.

He said that the Council had not received prior notification of the demolition of the lodge, which would normally give time for any asbestos checks to be carried out beforehand.

“A number of people at the meeting expressed concerns that they believed they had seen asbestos being covered over and buried within the rubble.

“So I have contacted the Council’s environmental health department and have asked them to liaise with the Environment Agency so they can inspect the site and see whether asbestos isn’t being disposed of properly and take the appropriate action,” he added.

Earlier this week the T&A reported that the historic lodge had been largely demolished - seemingly without the correct approval in place from Bradford Council.

A spokesman for the Council said last week: “The building is not listed but would require approval from Bradford Council before demolition could be carried out.

“The owner has been contacted about this matter and is attempting to remedy the breach of planning control by way of a retrospective planning application.”

The former gardener’s lodge, a three-bedroom property, went to auction in September, fetching £156,000. The sale was agreed by the corporate trustees as the building was surplus to operational requirements.

Any proceeds are to be invested back into the park, with the Council pledging to work with the Friends group and local ward councillors on how it is spent.