Plans to build a new supermarket in Keighley are likely to go to a full public inquiry.

Keighley Area Planning Panel opposed the scheme to build an Asda supermarket in Bradford Street after hearing it would bring up to 22,000 cars per week into the town.

The plans will go before Bradford Council's Regulatory and Appeals committee tomorrow and have again been recommended for refusal.

The scheme is already the subject of an appeal for non-determination. So if it is refused it is likely the proposal will become the subject of a public inquiry by the Secretary of State.

The planning panel spent more than seven hours discussing the plans for the 40,000-sq-ft store before unanimously turning it down last Thursday. Chairman of the planning panel Councillor Chris Greaves (Cons, Wharfe-dale) said there had been ten reasons why the panel had opposed the application, including:

l the increased traffic generated from the supermarket grid-locking the town's streets

l there being no demonstrated need for another supermarket in the town

l diversion of trade from Keighley town centre

l the allocation of the land in the Council's Unitary Development Plan, its land-use blueprint, being for employment not retail use.

Coun Greaves said: "We were extremely concerned about the level of traffic and pedestrian safety.

"The fire station is just across from the entrance and we couldn't see how fire engines could quickly get out to fires with all this traffic."

He said the Airedale Masterplan had also opposed building a store on the site which is currently occupied by Peter Black's Warehouse.

At the meeting, Andy King, surveyor on behalf of Asda, said the store was the nearest available site to the town centre that could contain a store. He said: "We hope to attract those people already on the roads so we don't think there will be an increase of people travelling to food stores."

The regulatory and appeals committee will be held in Keighley Town Hall from 10am tomorrow. It is open to the public.