Campaigners have hit out after an early stage planning document was submitted which could see more than 400 homes built on a greenfield site.

A scoping application has been submitted by planning consultants Johnson Mowat for around 427 houses on a patch of land off Baldwin Lane, in Clayton.

Richard Mowat, a director a Johnson Mowat, said the application was in very early stages and it could be “two or three years” before a full planning application would be submitted.

The scoping application is to assess whether an Environmental Impact Statement would be required for the application. In a letter submitted to Bradford Council, Mr Mowat said in his “professional opinion” an Environment Impact Statement would not be necessary.

The land is jointly owned by Charles Patchett and Eriks Upite and measures 16.2 hectares.

The application has been met with staunch opposition by local Councillors and campaign group Keep Clayton Green. They have called on developers to focus on brownfield sites and empty homes to bring them back into use before trying to build on greenfield sites.

Councillor Sinead Engel (Labour, Clayton & Fairweather Green) said if the houses were built Clayton would “cease to be a village”.

She said: “At the moment it is absolutely the wrong location.

“The schools are full to bursting, you struggle to get a GP appointment as it is and the roads are gridlocked.

“To add another 400 homes to that is unimaginable. Residents are very concerned about the development, the infrastructure wouldn’t be able to cope.

“Clayton would cease to be a village. The green space would be a massive loss, it’s a lovely little place and this would be devastating.

“There are a lot of houses for sale in Clayton that won’t sell, which makes you ask is this even the right place to build homes?

“Bringing brownfield sites that have established transport links, and empty houses back into use needs to be the main focus.”

Rachel Fox, chair of Keep Clayton Green, said the group is holding a meeting at 7.30pm on March 27 at Clayton Village Hall to discuss the plans.

She said: “We formed last year when the first plans went in in Westminster Avenue.

“The plans would have a major impact, and there are an awful lot of them going on around here.

“We don’t have the infrastructure, and it would also affect the wildlife, where are the animals going to go?

“We are not against building houses, we know they are required. We are against building in inappropriate places. There are an awful lot of brownfield sites across Bradford that need sorting out first.”

Cllr Carol Thirkill (Labour, Clayton & Fairweather Green) added: “I’m disappointed developers seem to be targeting Clayton for these applications.

“We just don’t have the infrastructure, the schools places, the dentist places, the doctors appointments. There are children going to Denholme for school because they can’t get a place here.

“This development would double the size of the village. We all know we need houses, but in the right places where there is the infrastructure in place.

“There are plenty of brownfield sites that have planning permission which are just not being used. We should be encouraging developers to use them rather than our green spaces.”

Mr Mowat said: “The site is promoted in the Council’s Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment, along with about 3,000 other sites.

“We are asking the Council if an application was submitted, would an environmental assessment be required.

“We just want to know what work we may be required to do in the future.

“Maybe in two or three years time we will undertake work if the site is allocated.”