Councillors are demanding answers from Bradford Council as to why the authority wants to sell land they believe was bought to improve a hazardous crossroads.

Liberal Democrat councillors in Idle and Thackley ward say they have received letters from the authority’s asset management department stating land around the junction of Harrogate Road, New Line and Apperley Lane in Greengates is set to be sold.

Councillor Alun Griffiths said he was baffled by the letter as he believed the land at the north-east corner of the junction had been obtained for a traffic scheme to be implemented.

He said: “The Council is proposing to sell land around the junction. We can’t understand that because the whole reason they got the land was for junction improvements.

“The junction’s been a thorn in the side for years. There’s a lot of traffic delays, smells and pollution. It’s a bit of a nightmare.

“Over the years various properties have become disused and the Council has purchased various stores around it and we would hope they have enough now to do a decent job of implementing a scheme to improve the junction. It seems a nonsense that they’d be that daft. It’s rather worrying having written to them that nobody’s got back.”

Residents in Greengates have campaigned for years for improvements at the junction. In 2004 a £3 million scheme was rubber-stamped by Bradford North Area Committee to take southbound traffic onto a new link road at the north-east corner of the junction. A cycle route and pedestrian crossing were also included in the plans.

Residents feared the village war memorial on the junction of New Line and Harrogate Road would be moved in order for improvements to be carried out and successfully applied for listed status for the monument.

No-one at Bradford Council was available to comment about the councillors’ concerns.