CONSTRUCTION work is due to start on the site of a planned privately-run cemetery off Black Hill Lane, Keighley.

The agent for the landowner said a contractor had been taken on to build the intended graveyard's boundary wall.

Michael Ainsworth, of Michael Ainsworth Design Partnership, said: "After working closely with the local authority planning department we're pleased to announce that planning conditions associated with the boundary wall have been discharged.

"And I'm pleased to announce that we have appointed contractors for the new wall.

"We look forward to seeing the project take shape. The stone for the wall will be reclaimed from sites within Yorkshire."

He added it was likely the work on the wall would take about three months.

As previously reported in the Keighley News, the appearance of the site's Black Hill Lane boundary had attracted complaints from a local resident who said the area resembled a "bombsite".

Keighley MP John Grogan said: "I know how much Keighley Tarn, which is adjacent to the new cemetery, means to Keighley people from all communities and backgrounds.

"It's been frustrating to everybody involved over the last few months that the cemetery site has looked a bit of a mess while Bradford Council and the promoters of the cemetery have discussed the stringent conditions associated with the planning permission.

"I've been in constant touch with both over this period. The conditions, which include protection of the water table, have now all been signed off.

"I understand the intention is to finish the work this year, and I'm assured that between now and then further details of how the cemetery will operate and be managed will be made public."