A PROPOSED new road in Silsden could enable the building of 500 houses on fields next to the town’s planned new primary school.

The road could also provide direct access from busy Bolton Road to the school, which received planning approval last month from Bradford Council.

Outline plans for the road, which would run off Bolton Road, cross Brown Bank Lane and end at Hawber Cote, were this month submitted by Skipton chartered surveyors David Hill.

The project is understood to be on behalf of a consortium of landowners who hope to eventually gain planning permission for housing on fields opened up by the new road.

The fields have already been designated as housing land by Bradford Council, with a potential final total of 1,000 homes stretching across the north-east of Silsden from Bolton Road to Howden Road.

Under the initial application the road would only run to Hawber Cote, but at the request of Bradford Council, David Hill is now looking at extending it a little further to Hawber Cote Lane to connect with the school.

A spokesman for David Hill told the Keighley News that the company had been working with Bradford Council on the project for some time.

She said: “The land is safeguarded for housing. We’ve been working with the council to try to bring that housing forward.

“It’s a complete application, but we’re going to be submitting an amended plan soon. The idea is that it will connect with the school.”

Town and district councillor Adrian Naylor believes the landowners’ consortium is looking at a potential 500 houses on the fields.

He said: “This road would be the first bid. If they can get this planning application through, the next part of the project would be a housing application.

He warned that Silsden would need its long-awaited Eastern relief road in place before so many houses were built in that part of the town.

He added: “It’s very early days but I want to see a lot more detail about this road. I want to see the council proactively looking at how this would interlinked with the wider relief road.

“I don’t want to see this project to develop in isolation. This is more than just a simple application for an access road – it has greater ramifications for the future of Silsden.

“If the intention that this becomes the relief road rather than putting a bypass in, then how does it fit into the wider context? I want people to consider where the road connects to.”

Silsden Town Council chairman Peter Robinson said he had his colleagues wanted more details about the planned road, particularly how it would link to the primary school.

He asked: “What is the timescale? Would the road be completed to standard, and will there be adequate footpaths, cycle lanes and service access?”

Cllr Robinson said the road application meant it was now more important than ever that Bradford Council agreed to meet residents to allay their fears about potential traffic problems in streets around the school site.

He added: “There are quite a lot of protected trees up in that area.”