A VILLAGE is divided over plans to build houses on the last petrol station in the area.

While some Bramhope residents say the loss of the Leeds Road Shell Garage in the car-intensive village will inconvenience drivers, others living near the garage claim they are disturbed at night by bright lights and noise.

Now members of Bramhope Parish Council have voted to put their objections to the plan to Leeds City Council.

Shell has teamed up with a developer to apply for outline permission for residential development at the garage, which is expected to close shortly.

But while some parish councillors said they would prefer to see a high-class housing development at the entrance to the village rather than a petrol station, others did not want Bramhope to lose commercial property to the housing developers.

Councillor Richard Harker said: "Just to say it that it will come up when the plans of the houses are available is not good enough. We ought to make some point of protest that this is another commercial site being used."

But other councillors said motorists went elsewhere for petrol.