A campaign group has branded a decision by a Mirfield school to sell off part of its ground for housing so it can improve its sports facilities as 'scandalous.'

Governors of Castle Hall School and Miller Homes have applied to Kirklees Council for planning permission for the development and a project to build a sports hall, all-weather pitch, tennis and netball court and better parking at the school.

But green field campaign group Save Mirfield has objected to the plans. Co-ordinator Keith Andrews said: ''There is an area of the school playing field that needs to be levelled and drained and the school wants to sell the land to a developer which will build 29 houses and sports facilities, which the school lacks.

''What the school wants is a sports hall, but how they're going about it is completely wrong. They say this grassland is unusable, but I'm a civil engineer and I know it could be levelled off and made into a playing field at a cost of about £10,000 - this decision is scandalous.''

He said if the school in Richard Thorpe Avenue sold its playing field it could prompt other Mirfield schools to start selling off parts of their grounds.

In a statement Castle Hall School said the land was surplus to requirement and would enable sporting facilities to be provided. It had been unsuccessful in bids to the National Lottery and private enterprise funding.

Head teacher David Learmonth said parents had been supportive of the scheme and it would be open to the community when the school was not using them: ''A new sports centre and all-weather pitch would certainly enable us to give our pupils high quality facilities. This development will enable the school to become a centre of sporting excellence.''