A Council-commissioned report has found there is contamination on the site of a planned £25m business park.

Campaigners fighting against the business park, which is set to be built on green fields in Buck Lane, Baildon, have obtained a copy of a report carried out by consultants Ove Arup under the Freedom of Information Act.

The report, which was commissioned by Bradford Council, shows that four locations along the boundary of the six hectare site, off Otley Road, and next to the former Baildon Chemical Works, are contaminated.

It states that groundwater is also contaminated with a third of samples above the safety limits. Cyanide and arsenic, both dangerous poisons, were discovered in water samples on the site next to the River Aire.

Bradford Council bosses reassured residents that any necessary work would be completed to make sure public health is not compromised before any building work is carried out.

However, Dr Steven Walker, chairman of pressure group Baildon Residents Against Inappropriate Development (BRAID), says the report confirms his group’s fears about the site and he called for a public meeting between residents and Council bosses.

He said: “Some areas are so badly polluted that they present a health risk.”

The worst contaminated areas are immediately next to the old chemical works, which was built in the 1890s, according to the report.

BRAID is calling for the Council to hold a special neighbourhood forum for officers to explain what precautions will be taken to safeguard health.

Dr walker said: “It is time the Council listened to the residents of Baildon.”

A Bradford Council spokesman said: “We will work with our Environmental Protection Team, which acts impartially, to assess the findings of the report and consider appropriate measures to ensure that public health is not compromised.

“This will be done before any development on the site begins.

“The Environmental Protection Team deals with all planning applications where there may be land quality issues.

“The Council is committed to development of the site, providing new business space for local companies that are expanding, opportunities for inward investment and creating jobs to support the growth of the local economy.

“The report was commissioned by independent environmental consultants to investigate possible contamination of the Buck Lane site, a condition which forms part of the approval of the planning application.

“The consultants’ report is a public document and was sent to Braid within a few days of it being formally sent to the Council’s planning department.”