Villagers in Long Lee are campaigning to have a former school building turned into a new surgery.

They are petitioning Bradford council to allow the disused Long Lee First School building to be turned into a medical centre rather than an area for new housing.

The current medical practice at the bottom of Long Lee Lane, which is part of Kilmeny surgery at Ingrow, suffers from poor parking and cramped facilities.

Management says a new, larger building on the former first school site further up Long Lee Lane would provide improved parking and greater space to provide more medical services to the local community.

An offer made to Bradford council by the practice has, however, been rejected in favour of another bid from Bradford property developer Cityscape Development Limited.

It has submitted plans to convert the school building into 11 flats and develop a further five town houses on the site.

Residents argue there is no need for any more new housing in the Long Lee area.

They are drawing up a petition in the hope of persuading members of Keighley planning committee to refuse residential development and support the plans for a new surgery.

Kilmeny practice manager Mavis Clarkson says: "The school site would be ideal for us and we have received approval from the health authority to develop a new health centre at Long Lee, which would lead to a vast improvement in services."

The surgery's agent Paul Lingard says the crux of their argument rests around Coney Lane bridge.

He explains: "There is a constraint on residential development in Long Lee until the bridge at Coney Lane is improved. General proposals for housing contravene this policy. We are proposing to create something that's of benefit to the community."

Owner of Cityscape Development Limited Kevin Firth says: "The residents I spoke to were initially concerned but then when I explained the plans they went away quite happy.

"The main flat development will retain the whole of the school's 1900 structure but will drop the 1960's extension. The original character of the school will be retained and externally there will be no real change of appearance.

"The building is being vandalised and I'm sure people will be glad to see that something good is going to come out of it."

Locals say that vandalism and graffiti on the boarded up building have made the site an eyesore and are calling for action to stop it becoming worse.

Firefighters form Keighley have also been called up to the school twice in recent months to extinguish fires that have been started deliberately at the rear of the building.

Colin Hartley from Thwaites Brow Road says: "My concern is its appearance at the moment and the fact that there's no telling how long its going to remain how it is.

"There is graffiti on the boards over the windows and it is starting to look like a bit of a dump. It used to be such a pleasant school but it looks awful now and I think something should be done about it."

A spokesman for Bradford council says: "The premises are inspected daily by a security firm which is responsible for other school sites in the area.

"The actual property has been sold subject to contract and there's a planning application in for residential use."

The plans for the proposed conversion have been submitted to Keighley planning office and are now likely to go before the planning committee in September.