Plans to modernise and expand Nab Wood School provoked concerns among village residents at a public consultation on Tuesday.

The Cottingley school’s business manager Jane Massaadi said: “The sports centre will remain, but will have a substantial refurbishment and will be a fantastic community facility.

“The rest of the school will become smaller and tidier. The new-build will move the school forward into the 21st century.”

The school was built to cater for 1,400 pupils, but the meeting was told it has not been filled to capacity for many years, with only 900 pupils currently attending.

The new building will cater for 1,500 students – after research showed birth rates in Bradford are increasing, but residents feel the increase will put too much pressure on Cottingley’s roads.

Councillor Simon Cooke (Con, Bingley Rural) said: “We don’t consider Nab Wood to be a community school. It doesn’t serve this community. Most of pupils the come from elsewhere.”

He added: “The proposals will increase the pressure on the road system which, as anybody will tell you, cannot deal with the traffic it has on it at present.”

Branding the Nab Wood extension the “easy option”, he also asked whether alternative plans had been considered to build a school on a different site.

Coun Cooke’s concerns will be passed to Kath Tunstall, Bradford Council’s strategic director for services to children and young people.

Cottingley Community Association has launched a petition against the plans.

Commenting from the floor, several members of the public spoke out against the plans, however one man described the expansion as a “cracking idea”.