A proposed housing estate of almost 300 homes will swamp Eldwick, a campaigner has claimed.

Graham Franz, one of the organisers behind Eldwick's Village Design Statement, said an application for 273 houses off Warren Lane would mean a drain on the village's community resources.

The new estate, which is phase two of an existing development of 150 houses by Bryant Homes, will mean a total of about 1,400 new residents.

"Where are the children going to go to school? The school is nearly full already," said Mr Franz.

The design statement is a blueprint for Eldwick's future and is being put together by a group of villagers.

"This will map out the future needs of the village - and one thing we don't need is more housing," he said.

"If we have a chance to object we will, but it has already been rubber-stamped."

Another plan for 45 homes on the opposite side of Warren Lane will result in about 120 new residents.

"As far as the infrastructure is concerned nothing is being put in for the community," said Mr Franz.

"The 1991 census said there were 2,728 people living in Eldwick. Now there are about 3,000 and with all these new homes we are going to see a colossal increase of about 32 per cent."

Councillor Dale Smith (Con, Rombalds) said he would be bringing up the issue at the next neighbourhood forum meeting on November 1 at Eldwick Primary School beginning at 7.30pm.

"People living in Eldwick should be able to have a say on the amount of development going on around them," he said.

The 17-hectare site off Warren Lane, which is earmarked for housing in the Unitary Development Plan, stretches back to Sherrif Lane and was last used as agricultural land.

A spokeswoman for Bryant said the company would be liaising with planning officers about the development's layout once comments from the public had been received.

Villagers can send written representations to the planning department at Shipley Town Hall.