PLANS for a £2.5 million "sports village" which would provide new cycle facilities, sports pitches and a community building in Bradford have been met with a swell of support.

The Wyke Sports Village will be built on the site of the old Wyke Manor School.

The original plans for the site were approved in 2016, but a fire in one of the existing sports buildings on the site, and its subsequent demolition, meant the scheme had to go back to the drawing board.

The cycle facility planned for the new sports village will replaced the one which will be lost with the sale of the Richard Dunn sports centre in Odsal.

While the new Sedbergh Sports Centre will replace Richard Dunn's, it will not include cycle facilities.

Many comments have been left on the Council's planning site in support of the plans.

Elise Haigh wrote: "As a race organiser for women's grassroots racing, we need this facility in the Halifax/Bradford region.

"We have some of the most established all women's cycling clubs in the country and should be massively proud of that.

"We'd love to see more growth in women's racing and are already seeing women's racing grown in tenfold, often though getting track availability is hard. Not only that, to give people a place to learn how to ride a bike within the safety of a no traffic zone is the best way we can encourage new starters."

She added: "Cycling changed my life, and facilities like this make cycling available to so many people who need a safe place to start."

And Paul Hughes wrote: "As a British Cycling Level 2 coach, I'd like to register my strong support for the development of the cycling facility at Wyke Manor.

"A lot of my coaching time is spent working with young children and with inexperienced adults. Both these groups need safe, traffic free, purpose built cycling facilities and the plans for the Wyke facility look set to provide an ideal environment for coaching them.

"I also coach riders who race in Cyclo-Cross and Circuit Racing, two more groups who would be well provided for at the planned facility. Again, safe, purpose built facilities make coaching a lot easier and allow coaches more opportunity to make progress with their coaching."

While Keith Finnett said: "As a British Cycling qualified coach I believe this facility would bring immense benefit to the region.

"The circuit, as designed, is of a configuration that provides multiple options for coaching and racing at different levels, opening the circuit up to the potential for wider use by members of the public.

"This is superior to the circuit at Richard Dunn which of course is being lost in the near term. The additional community facilities, sports pitches etc only further add to the benefit of this project."

And Richard Bower added: "In my eyes cycling is our national sport. Many amateur and professional cyclists have used the facility at Richard Dunn sports centre and I was extremely disappointed when I heard the new facility at Sedbergh was not going to to have cycling facilities.

"I look forward to using this new facility for many years to come."

The cycle circuit will be open to the public at any time unless it has been booked for training or an event, while the community building will provide changing on the lower ground floor and an entrance and multipurpose space on the upper level.

Search 19/01596/REG on the Council's planning site to see the full application and to make a comment.

A determination deadline has been set for July 9.