CONTROVERSIAL plans by a major housing developer to build on a field in Clayton have been refused by a planning committee.

When asked to decide on an application for 69 homes on land off Westminster Drive, members of Bradford Council's Regulator and Appeals Committee went against the advice of their own officers and voted against the plans following a two and a half hour debate.

Submitted by Barratt Homes, the plans were for a site next to another Barratt development.

The application originally went before the committee in August, but a decision was postponed after objectors claimed a report into flooding in the area they had commissioned highlighted serious issues with the proposals.

At that meeting planning officers recommended the committee approve the development.

And when the plan came back to the committee on Thursday, officers had not changed their mind, despite having read through that report.

They claimed the independent report contained a number of inaccuracies, and said neither Council flood officers nor Yorkshire Water had objected to the plans.

There had been over 240 objections to the plans, with many objectors raising issues about existing flooding on this field and neighbouring sites.

One objectors had even claimed "palms had been greased" at the Council, and that the development would be approved.

At the meeting residents, local ward Councillors and representatives of Clayton Parish Council spoke against the plans, showing a slide show of flooding on and around the site.

Where thousands of homes could be built in the North West of Bradford

The Council's planning and flood officers told members they felt measures proposed by the developers - including the creation of an on site flood attenuation tank and drainage system that would see water diverted into a nearby beck, was adequate.

They argued that the development would not make flooding in the area any worse than it was now.

Mark Jones of Barratt told the committee that the neighbouring development had been hugely popular, with many of the new residents having moved there from within Clayton or neighbouring areas of Queensbury and Thornton.

But committee members referred to concerns that residents had made about springs on the field. Officers said there were likely to be springs on the site, but they were not included on any maps. They felt conditions that could be placed on the developers would adequately deal with the possibility of on site springs.

Referring to the flood report commissioned by the objectors, Councillor Russell Brown (Cons, Worth Valley) said: "Residents are in one camp and officers are in another camp. It is up to us as a committee to figure out the real story.

"Just because a development isn't increasing the risk of flooding, it doesn't mean its a good place to build houses."

Councillor Doreen Lee (Lab, Keighley East) said she had experience of developers building on fields prone to flooding, which had then gone on to cause problems for neighbouring areas. She said: "I don't have any faith in what's been said will be done. I don't want to pass something that could pass on issues to residents.

"We need to plant trees round here, never mind building houses. Whatever conditions we put on this, we can't stop rain coming out of the sky.

"I'm sick to the back teeth of builders coming in and saying 'but we need houses.' It is very rare for me to refuse an application like this, but the issue is going to get worse and worse until developers like Barratts stop looking to build in areas where it floods."

Councillor Matt Edwards (Green, Tong) said: "There is anecdotal evidence there are springs on the site. The development next to it is called Spring Valley View."

The committee voted to refuse the plans, arguing the developer had failed to provide adequate information regarding on site springs and how they would mitigate localised flooding.