RESIDENTS living near a former Victorian orphanage are renewing their battle to stop it being demolished.

Following initial pressure from householders, Wimpey Homes has submitted revised plans for redeveloping the former St Gabriel's Roman Catholic Orphanage and nursing home in Scotland Lane, Horsforth.

But the new plans have not met the concerns of many local residents.

Residents have been battling since spring against the plans, with MP Paul Truswell and over 90 individual objections and a 200-name petition submitted to local planners protesting against the plans.

But residents claim that the plans for 41 two-bedroom flats are insensitive and detrimental to the area, they claim Scotland Lane cannot cope with the extra traffic and sat that the height of the blocks have been reduced by just four feet and overlook existing houses.

Town Councillor Mick Grubb, who has been one of the leading lights in the protests, said: "People are already ringing me up about this - everybody is against it. All Wimpey seems to have done is take four feet off the top of the flats which isn't going to satisfy anybody.

"I'll be speaking with residents further and seeing where we take our campaign from here."

In a statement, a spokesman for Wimpey said the company had listened to residents and added that some concessions have been made. He added that mature trees around the boundary were to be retained to give nearby residents more privacy.

Residents now have several more weeks to make their feelings known before city councillors make their decision on the plans.

l Old boys from the orphanage have been invited a special reunion mass on the site on Sunday.