This photograph shows all that was left of Grove Mills, in Ingrow, on Monday.

It was was taken by local man Harold Lowther, who has lived opposite the Halifax Road site for nearly 20 years, and shows – in the centre of the picture – the shell of the mill.

Councillor Chris Greaves, who chairs the Keighley Area Planning Panel, says he is “horrified and appalled” that the building has knocked down by developer Skipton Properties.

“I think it’s a tragedy,” he said. “What they’ve done is legally OK, as the building was not listed or in a conservation area, but morally and ethically it’s a different matter. When the application first came through the point was that the mill would be saved – this was meant to be a regeneration project.”

Yesterday, as the Keighley News went to press, Skipton Properties would not comment on the issue.

Skipton Properties gained council planning permission in April 2006, when it said it would build more than 350 flats and 53 houses at Grove Mills.

The original plan included proposals for a gym, a creche, a health club, swimming pool, shops – such as a mini market and post office – and a café.

In March 2008 the developer won permission to substantially reduce the number of planned flats and increase the number of houses.

Following extensive preparation work at the derelict site, construction began in the spring of 2008.

Mr Lowther, 60, of Hainworth Lane, said it was a shame that most of the former mill had gone.

He said he and his neighbours had been expecting it to be converted into smart apartments.

He said: “Instead it looks like this is going to be just another housing estate.”

He said in 2006 the prospect of the development bringing better community facilities to the area meant he and other nearby residents raised little or no objection.

But he said he now feared these public improvements would not go ahead.

Cllr Greaves said: “Maybe we [the planning panel] were naive, but we put our trust in the developer.

“We did our best to approve a scheme which would keep the mill.

“In future, in certain cases we are going to have to be more prescriptive in the wording of planning approvals.”

Concern about the treatment of the mill was raised at a Keighley Town Council meeting early last month, (February) shortly after the demolition had begun.

A spokesman for Bradford Council planners subsequently said that as the building was not listed, nor in a conservation zone, no authorisation was needed to “alter” its exterior.

At their March meeting members of the town council said the matter should be referred back to Bradford Council, and the terms of the initial planning permission re-examined.

Speaking on this week town council planning committee chairman, Cllr David Miller, said he and his colleagues had always understood the mill would be converted, not demolished.

He said he now thought it was unlikely that the building would ever be restored.