Housing development in Silsden would have a serious impact on the safety of an already busy junction onto the town's main street, an inspector at a public inquiry was told.

The plan, for Woodside Road, is included in Bradford Council's Unitary Development Plan.

The inquiry into the plan, held at Victoria Hall, Saltaire, and expected to last until July, is also considering proposals to build a bypass taking traffic from Keighley Road around the town to connect with Bolton Road and the route to Addingham.

Objector Lance Peake, a retired local government officer, said development in Woodside Road would create more traffic pressure in Elliot Street, especially at its junction with Kirkgate.

The inquiry heard that Bradford Council does not anticipate a need to build on the site until 2014.

At the public inquiry yesterday Mr Peake said he calculated that the site would take about 146 of the 1,400 homes Bradford planned to build in the town over the next 15 years.

"Since 1993 there has been considerable piece-meal development, generating a great deal of traffic exiting from side roads onto Kirkgate," said Mr Peake.

"This makes it very difficult to access Kirkgate, especially its junction with Elliot Street and Howden Road. Cars come tearing over the canal bridge - they just don't slow down and if anyone stalls it could be a disaster."

Bradford Council highways officer Ian Gallacher accepted that the Elliot Street junction was a problem, especially because of the sight line towards the hump bridge over the Leeds-Liverpool canal.

But he said the proposed bypass would take traffic away from the junction and also relieve traffic pressure on Kirkgate.