Residents in Denholme have voiced their unanimous opposition to controversial plans for a huge waste tip in the village.

More than 50 people attended a public meeting at the Mechanics Institute on Monday night to voice their opposition to the planned tip at Buck Park Quarry.

The meeting was organised by Denholme town council as a way of gauging public feeling about the proposals. When a vote was cast at the end of the meeting public opposition to the plans was unanimous.

Denholme town council is now drawing up a questionnaire on the subject, which it intends distributing to every household in the village. Once the results have been assessed the town council will decide whether to oppose or back the plans.

Humberside-based consortium Wastewise has applied for outline planning permission to develop a waste tip at Buck Park Quarry with a capacity for 2.4 million cubic metres of waste. If the project receives the go-ahead, Wastewise says the tip will handle 250,000 tonnes of waste every year.

The main concern for many residents is the potential increase in heavy traffic on the already busy A629 Halifax Road. Many are worried about the potential road safety threat to pedestrians, especially children at Denholme First School.

Concern was also voiced about the possibility of pest infestations and unpleasant smells from the site, which neighbours in Cullingworth say has been a constant problem with the tip at Manywells.

Town mayor Russell Driver said: "I believe that we as a town council can't put a reply to Bradford council before we have talked to the residents in the village to make sure we are not going off at a tangent."

Cllr Driver stressed that if the town council did oppose the plans and they were rejected, there would be nothing to stop another company applying for planning permission. However, he reaffirmed the town council's pledge to get the best possible deal for Denholme and ensure that any conditions are carried out properly.

Conservative councillor Simon Cooke urged people at the meeting to oppose the tip, saying: "I have absolutely no confidence in (Labour-run) Bradford council to enforce any conditions."

Households and businesses in the Bradford area produce in the region of 200,000 tonnes of waste each year. With the tip at Manywells nearing full capacity there is an increasingly chronic shortage of waste disposal space.

The plans are likely to come before a planning sub-committee in late autumn.

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