A senior council officer last night apologised for an “oversight” which caused a major meeting to discuss plans for 300 new homes in a village to be cancelled.

Barra Mac Ruairi, Bradford Council’s strategic director for regeneration and culture, admitted his authority had failed to carry out consultation with the Environment Agency about plans to build nearly 300 homes in Menston.

Applications by Barratt Homes to build 174 homes at Derry Hill and by Taylor Wimpey for 125 homes at Bingley Road were due to be decided by Shipley Area Planning Panel which met in Menston on Tuesday, when more than 200 people turned up.

The meeting was adjourned when planners admitted they had not received responses from the agency, a statutory consultation body.

In a statement, Mr Mac Ruairi confirmed the Council had only sought a response from the Environ-ment Agency on Friday – more than a year after the Barratt application was made and nine months after the Taylor Wimpey proposal.

He said: “We would like to apologise to the people who attended the meeting in Menston on Tuesday and for our oversight in not formally consulting the Environ-ment Agency until last Friday for a response on the Derry Hill and Bingley Road planning applications. We have reviewed our systems as a result of this mistake.”

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