A KEIGHLEY town councillor has suggested Bradford Council should purchase a small part of a defunct car dealership site to widen the road near a dangerous bend.

Councillor Michael Westerman said if the district council can afford to buy the disused Branch Pub, in Bradford Road, Shipley, to widen the road there, it could do something similar but less costly in Keighley.

He has recommended the district council investigate buying a parcel of land previously occupied by the now closed Pentagon dealership, in order to widen Longcroft.

However, Bradford Council has responded that the money to buy the former Branch pub was from the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, not Bradford Council.

Cllr Westerman, chairman of Keighley Town Council's Watch and Transport Committee, said: "Now that Pentagon has shut the opportunity is there.

"Bradford would only need to buy a little bit of that land to cut the corner off what is an extremely tight bend.

"It's only a small proposal, but that is a bad bend, and it's something I'd really like to see Bradford doing. And they've got the money to do it."

But the Bradford Council spokesman said: “The purchase of the former Branch public house was completed using money from the West Yorkshire Combined Authority and not Bradford Council, and is part of a larger scheme to make improvements to the whole Bradford to Shipley corridor.

“Unfortunately, we don't have funding available to purchase parcels of land for potential road improvement projects, which have not already secured funding.

"However, we can explore possible highways improvements through the planning process, if the subsequent tenant or owner of the land puts in an application to change the use.”