CONCERNS have been expressed about the sale of a former psychiatric hospital in Rawdon.

Fulford Grange, a BUPA owned building in Micklefield Lane, has been put on the market for more than £900,000.

But councillors fear the building may be turned into offices or houses and lead to an increase in traffic along an already difficult road.

Councillor Brian Cleasby (Lib Dem, Horsforth) said: The road is a main route from Bradford to the airport and so already generates a lot of traffic.

"Traffic lights have been installed because of the danger faced by the number of drivers using narrow roads in the area. It's a case of old roads not being able to cope with modern developments. There have been a number of accidents and I have witnessed two myself."

Coun Cleasby added that the although the hospital did generate traffic it was only at visiting times.

"I definitely think a residential development would be better than an office site where cars would be coming and going all day."

Fraser Thompson, director at Otley's Dacre, Son and Hartley estate agents, said they were expecting a strong demand for the property.

He said: "It is an attractive building and I'm sure that whoever buys it will do something worthwhile.

"At the moment it has got planning permission for offices so it could become an office complex or it could be transformed into a nice residential conversion."

The private health company was planning to create offices for its workers across Leeds but changed its mind.

Its most recent application to turn the six-acre site, which has three separate buildings, into a BUPA-assisted living development was turned down earlier this year.

Phil Padgett, a director of BUPA Assisted Living, said: "We didn't plan on selling the property but we don't have any use for it now."