A PARISH Council has been told that their neighbourhood plan currently has little weight to shape current planning policy.

Bradford Council's Keighley and Shipley Area Planning Panel yesterday approved plans to build six houses on an area of land at St Matthew's Close in Wilsden.

Outline plans to build on the site were first approved in 2016 - this latest application was for more detailed plans including the layout of the homes.

Wilsden Parish Council had objected to the proposals, saying it went against its neighbourhood plan - which is currently being developed.

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The plan says there should be a mix of house sizes, as the village already contains numerous four-bed homes that are under occupied.

All six houses on the St Matthew's Close development are planned to be four-bed, detached homes.

At Wednesday's meeting Parish Councillor Peter Allison urged the panel to call for a greater mix of housing on the site. He said that although the neighbourhood plan was still emerging "There is no argument as to why the neighbourhood plan should be ignored."

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He said at least one house on the site should be smaller than four bedrooms.

But planning officers said as the Wilsden Neighbourhood Plan had not yet been ratified, there was only limited weight that could be given to it when considering this application.

Members were told they could not go back and add conditions to proposals that were approved several years ago.

The committee approved the plans.

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