A long-running saga involving a scheme to build a house in the grounds of another house in Ilkley has still not reached a conclusion.

Planners want another report into the fate of trees on the site before they give the plan, to build the house on land at Homewood, Curly Hill, Middleton, the go-ahead.

The plan has been refused twice before and was due to be the subject of an appeal at Ilkley Town Hall on February 19.

But the applicant, Jim Boddy, submitted another application after council tree experts had examined the site in one of Ilkley's most prestigious residential areas.

Planning officers recommended that the plan should be given the go-ahead but objectors turned up at the Keighley area planning panel meeting to voice their disapproval.

Ilkley parish councillor Pat Stevenson told the meeting that more trees would be lost from a site she described as 'already decimated'.

Former parish councillor Barbara Cussons, who lives opposite the site, urged the planning panel to reject the plan.

An earlier planning appeal in August, 2000, had rejected an attempt to build two houses on the site.

Mrs Cussons said: "During the planning appeal in August, 2000, opponents were dismayed to learn via the applicants that officers had said there was space on site for one house as far back as January, 2000, although the relevant letter was not on public file, and an official complaint was lodged.

"We were told that, irrespective of the officers' comments, for any future application it would have to be demonstrated that the character of the area was not harmed and that there would not be a significant loss of trees on the site.

"The damage has continued before and since that last appeal.

" It is therefore not right that only future damage should be taken into account although even that is still open to concern by your own tree officer in the report."

"Approval of this plan will completed the damage already done by this applicant as, with no room for parking within the curtilage, the lane will turn into an urban car park for owners and visitors."

Planning officer Martyn Burke told the meeting that a tree officer had visited the site and confirmed that all the work done on the trees had been authorised and replacement planting had taken place.

Planning consultant Andrew Rollinson, acting as agent for Mr Boddy, said that the garden was a previously developed site and not a part of the green belt.

Members of the public and press were then excluded from the meeting while councillors consulted behind closed doors with a legal officer about the application.

Panel chairman Chris Greaves (Con, Rombalds) used his casting vote to have the plan deferred until tree officers had examined it again.

"There has been a lot of damage to trees in that area," said Coun Greaves.

" It has happened in the past and I don't want any more damage, so we want to see what is going to happen before we say yes to anything."