Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott will decide if a public inquiry should be held into plans for a £3 million shopping centre in Haworth.

Bradford council has referred to Mr Prescott the controversial plans for a retail centre on part of a private car park in Rawdon Road, Haworth. Mr Prescott is also Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions.

Residents are being invited to comment about the plans to the government office for Yorkshire and Humb-erside.

Haworth Combined Residents Action Group (HCRAG) is objecting to the scheme, which was given outline approval by Bradford council in September. The group is also campaigning to set up a parish council centred on Haworth. It wants the village first school, which is facing the axe under City Hall's education shake-up, to become a heritage centre and base for the new council.

Members of the group claim a new shopping complex would spoil the historic village. The proposed site is near the famous Main Street and Bront Parsonage Museum.

Cliff Simmonds, HCRAG's secretary, says: "A public inquiry may be the quickest way to settle the argument, then we can get on and work for the future benefit of our village."

He says the group has written to the government office presenting the case for the scheme to be heard at a public inquiry.

He says there are a number of reasons why the project should be turned down, including the prospect of increased traffic generated along Rawden Road. From this road there is access to Hartington Middle School which is to become a bigger primary school in the education shake-up. "The junction of Rawdon Road and Mytholmes Lane will become a bottleneck at the busy early-morning peak hour and less severely in the afternoon period," he says.

"There is also the higher risk of accidents coming from increased number of goods vehicles."

He also feels the development will detract from the historic and cultural image of Haworth. A Yorkshire and the Humberside government office spokesman says Mr Prescott's office will decide whether there should be a public inquiry or if the application should return to the council for its own decision.

"The planning application is now being assessed against national guidelines for calling in planning applications to see whether or not intervention is warranted," he says.

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