Council officers have been swamped with 1,000 individual letters over a planning blueprint earmarking land across the district for use over the next 15 years.

The groundswell of public opinion follows a major consultation over proposals for the new Unitary Development Plan (UDP).

But the Council expects to get thousands more before the closing date for representations on Tuesday.

Last-minute representations on the day can be made by going to any planning office in the district up to 5pm or Jacob's Well in the city centre up to 6pm.

Executive committee member for the environment Councillor Anne Hawkesworth is also expected to receive a petition signed by more than 4,000 people backing Baildon's Jenny Lane Action Group's campaign to have the land declared a village green.

But the village faces a battle because the former green-belt land was allocated for housing in the current UDP.

Public reaction to proposals for the whole district will be closely scrutinised from next week onwards and a second final version of the UDP will be produced by the end of the year.

That will also go out to give the public a say but they will only be able to make representations over changes which are made by planners as a result of the existing public consultation.

Representations are expected to result in a public inquiry next summer which could last weeks.

In 1993 a highly controversial UDP brought 20,000 representations and led to a six-month public inquiry.

But this time the Council is protecting green fields from developers, looking first at the district's former industrial sites.

That means most representations support the proposals.

But strong objections are likely to be held by companies wanting to develop the land.

Planning officer Andy Haigh said there would now be negotiations with objectors.

He said: "There are probably fewer representations at this stage than in the previous plan but we expect a big response."

He said representations were being made from people across the district but many had come from the Jenny Lane campaign.

Coun Hawkesworth said she was delighted with the response because it showed the success of the public consultation.

She stressed that it was important to write in favour of proposals as well as object.

Joan Hyde, secretary of Baildon Community Council, said there was the potential for 668 more houses in the village but roads, schools and services were unable to accommodate them.