Plans for a new community centre have been axed at the last minute by council chiefs looking to build a new school.

It follows the collapse of negotiations to buy land for a new primary school in the Highfield area of Keighley.

Now education officials are understood to be looking at building a school on the site of Highfield Middle School, which was closed under schools reorganisation plans. But for six months residents have been making detailed plans to turn the site of the old school into a community centre, and a Sure Start initiative for families with young children has taken a turn for the worse.

Today the Keighley News can reveal that the council has rejected the proposals after negotiations to buy land for a new school in Cartmel Road failed.

The area of Highfield was given £4 million by the Single Regeneration Budget to spend on a range of improvements in the neighbourhood and the SRB sub-group, in partnership with the Manningham Housing Association, offered to use £75,000 of it to buy Highfield School.

Tony Mullin, from the Highfield SRB, said: "We are very upset and frustrated. We had been planning it for six months, it is a massive setback.

"The council was holding us back in its search for a new school site. When its negotiations fell through for Cartmel Road, in a roundabout way it had no alternative but to build the school on Highfield.

"Because the council was unable to agree with the Cartmel Road owners, now we are going to fail at the 11th hour.

"The council has blown us out of the water. There is no chance of it having any change of heart, so we will have to start at the beginning. We are back at square one, we will be getting together to look at alternatives."

The plans to use the school as a community centre and a place to house young families have been developed over the last six months. Keighley South councillor Lynne Joyce said: "I am profoundly disappointed, an enormous amount of effort, good will and planning went into the site, even architects were called in.

"It would have been the perfect location for the community development. I am bitterly, bitterly disappointed. I very much doubt we will be successful in appealing with them (the council).

"I feel there has been a real breach of good will. We have put a huge amount of time and energy into it. Throughout the council has given the impression we would acquire the land then there was a complete change in policy."

The Highfield site became redundant when Bradford Council reorganised the schools from a three-tier system.

An asset management spokesman for Bradford Council said: "We can confirm that negotiations for the purchase of a site at Cartmel Road, which was intended for a new school, have broken down.

"While the council is aware and appreciates the proposals for community uses at the former Highfield School, the need for a replacement school to improve educational facilities in the area is paramount.

"The council is therefore considering its other options for a replacement school as a matter of urgency."