PLANS to demolish and rebuild four ageing secondary schools have been given the green light.

The multi-million pound plans to transform Belle Vue Boys' School in Heaton, Carlton Bolling College in Undercliffe, Oakbank School in Keighley and Samuel Lister Academy in Cottingley were all approved by the Council's regulatory and appeals committee today.

The plans are among seven in Yorkshire being funded through a private finance project, under the Government's priority schools building programme.

Proposals for Oakbank school proved to be the most controversial at the heated meeting, as a popular hockey pitch is expected to be out-of-action for up to three years while building work takes place.

Richard Stewart, of Airedale Hockey Club, which uses the pitch, said the club would be in danger of folding if it lost its facility.

Planning officers said a legal document called a Section 106 agreement, between the applicant and sports body Sport England, could secure temporary facilities elsewhere.

But Councillor Jan Smithies (Lab, Keighley West), a school governor, warned it could take "weeks or months or never" to reach such an agreement.

She called on the committee to put the long-term future of countless children before the needs of "200 hockey club members for a period of two-and-a-half to three years".

Cllr Smithies said delaying the Oakbank rebuild could jeopardise the other six school plans.

She said: "It was made very clear to us, they stand and fall as a block of seven."

But panel member Councillor Malcolm Sykes (Con, Thornton and Allerton) reacted angrily to the suggestion they had to approve the plan, or the others would fail too.

He said: "I will not be blackmailed into making this decision."

Panel member Councillor Anne Hawkesworth (Ind, Ilkley) was concerned that the scheme involved the demolition of the school's Victorian administration block, Oakbank House.

But Gary Lucas, of developer Laing O'Rourke, said keeping the building was "not cost-effective".

Panel member Councillor Doreen Lee (Lab, Keighley East) said: "Oakbank serves a very poor area of Keighley and it has some very challenging children and the facilities that are there now just don't match that.

"So a new school is desperate, it's just desperate."

The panel voted through the plans, including the agreement to come up with a solution for the hockey players.

After the meeting, Mr Lucas welcomed the result, saying at some of the schools they would "start on-site almost immediately".

He said: "We want to get on with building the schools. There is a process to go through with the Oakbank and the Section 106, we will focus on that."

He said they aimed to open the new Samuel Lister Academy and Belle Vue Boys' School by September 2016, with Carlton Bolling and Oakbank scheduled for completion by September 2017.