A PLANNING panel has raised concerns over plans to turn a barn at a rural Keighley site into a four-bedroom house.

Bradford Council's District Planning Panel discussed an application to convert the building at Back Shaw Farm, which lies within the Green Belt, into residential at a meeting last week.

They heard that changes to planning rules brought in by the Conservative Government in 2013 meant agricultural buildings could be converted into housing without the need for planning permission - even if they lie in protected Green Belt.

Instead the work would be allowed under "permitted development."

Permitted development for this project was granted in 2017, but has since expired before the conversion can be completed. The planning panel were being asked to grant permission for the work to continue.

A number of people had objected to the plans, raising concerns about the increased traffic on the road leading to the site, Back Shaw Lane, which is in a poor condition.

And they also said the work had led to a caravan and storage units being placed on the Green belt land.

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Members raised concerns that if they granted permission, the work could drag on for several more years, pointing out little progress had been made on the conversion since 2017.

Referring to concerns about the road, Councillor Paul Godwin (Lab, Keighley West) said: "How low quality does a road have to be for it not to be classed as a highway?

"To call this road a highway is an abuse of the word highway. It is at best a bridal path.

"This is stretching the idea of developing a barn to it's absolute maximum. It is just a shed that has been put up, it doesn't seem adequate for a dwelling.

"I'm sure this is not the type of building the Government had in mind when they decided to allow people to convert agricultural buildings."

Members were told the building was already there, and they were just being asked to allow an already approved project to continue.

Highways officers conceded the road was of poor quality, but said it is a road that would be used by vehicles if this building remained under agricultural use.

Chair of the panel Councillor Shabir Hussain (Lab, Heaton) said: "This has been going on for three years - what guarantees do we have that if we give approval they will finish the work off?"

Paula Fitzgerald, representing the applicant, said work would begin as soon as possible after permission was granted.

The committee voted to defer the application so planning officers could speak to applicant Michael Money.

If he agrees that the work would be complete within 18 months, then planning officers could grant the application.