A six-year-old boy presented a 650-signature petition to Bradford Council objecting to a housing development over fears it will “steal the view” of former Green Belt land near his school.

Riyaadh Naylor, a pupil at St Barnabas Primary School in Heaton, delivered the document to the Council’s Jacob’s Well planning office yesterday urging councillors to refuse a reserved matters planning application in connection with a scheme for 26 homes at the rear of Ashwell Farm on Ashwell Road.

His mum Sarah Naylor, 46, said her son – who has borderline autism and special needs – also handed the department a painting he had done of the current woodland scene and what he thought it would look like if the plans go ahead.

She said: “He is so passionate about it. He loves the woods and he is at one with the place.

“Heaton Woods is like his home – when he wants to chill out that’s where he goes. He even spoke at a public meeting with the developer.

“It’s a beautiful area for the schoolchildren and this will steal that view from the children.”

Outline planning permission was granted for 27 detached houses at the site in November, 2011.

A reserved matters application has now been submitted to the Council, with some changes to the original drawings – including reducing the number of homes to 26 and adding a pumping station.

Planners have received letters of objection, including one from St Barnabas Primary School citing fears over traffic and environmental issues, as well as a 37-signature petition in support of the scheme saying the current site is a “wasteland”.

In 2003, Government inspectors ruled Ashwell Farm could be developed for housing after 2009 under the Unitary Development Plan. Mohammad Choudhury, owner of the site, said he had followed the correct procedures with the Council and had received outline planning permission for the scheme.

He added the scheme would create hundreds of jobs and pump half a million pounds into the community through a Section 106 agreement.