A DECISION on whether to accept plans to develop a privately-run cemetery near Keighley Tarn has been deferred.

The application was due to be debated at yesterday's (June 17) meeting of Bradford Council's Regulatory and Appeals Committee.

However, councillors decided to put the discussion on hold after it was revealed new information had been submitted by an objector the previous afternoon. (June 16)

Committee chairman councillor David Warburton said: "These documents were received at about 3.30pm on Tuesday, so there was no real opportunity for our planning and legal officers to look at them in detail in time for the meeting.

"We thought it would be appropriate and democratic to defer in order to have more clarity over the application."

Cllr Warburton said the application would be brought back to Regulatory and Appeals, but could not yet confirm a precise date.

He added he hoped it would be possible to consider the cemetery proposals at the committee's meeting on July 23.

The plans relate to land off Black Hill Lane, Keighley.

Clayton-based firm Mineral Planning Group, which is the agent for the applicant, has said the new graveyard would be available for people from all religions, and would be sensitively designed to blend in with its rural surroundings.

However, objectors have warned that it would pollute the water running downhill from the site towards Braithwaite and Black Hill, spoil Keighley Tarn's tranquil surroundings and cause traffic congestion and parking problems.

The cemetery plans, which were first revealed last September, have generated a massive response, with hundreds of public comments opposing and supporting the application on Bradford Council's planning portal.

The applicant, Keighley Community Cemetery, has said the graveyard would accommodate 1,500 to 2,000 burial plots and would feature parking provision, and a garden of remembrance.