A Horsforth councillor is calling for developers to be forced to pay for a major redevelopment of the ring road if they are allowed to build hundreds of new homes.

Brian Cleasby is opposed to the schemes to build up to 550 new homes on the Clariant and Riverside sites.

But he argued that Leeds City Council should insist on major improvements to the the ring road if they give the go-ahead.

Although the developers have offered to put some money into the road network, including improvements to Horsforth roundabout, Coun Cleasby believes major improvements to the ring road should be an essential part of any permission.

He claimed the developers would get a good amount of profit from the £190m schemes.

And he stressed: “They are raping Horsforth to get it. They are not putting the resources in. The harm and damage that would be done to Horsforth as well as Calverley is immense.”

Opponents of the schemes say the road network and local schools are already under intolerable pressure and would not be able to cope with such large-scale development.

Coun Cleasby stressed: “It is not just about what they are adding to the problem. It is the straw that breaks the camel’s back. They will be turning a bad situation with our roads into a terrible situation.”

The effect on local schools is also an issue of major concern, and West End Lane in Horsforth could have to take many more pupils if the new homes were built.

“West End Lane is right in the middle of a residential area, and it is already chaos at the moment,” Coun Cleasby said.

He argued that any further influx of pupils into the school would make the traffic situation even worse.

The applications are due to come back to the Leeds West Plans Panel in March, and councillor Cleasby is urging people to make their views known before it is too late.

Guiseley and Rawdon councillor councillor Paul Wadsworth, who sits on the plans panel, also believes there are still significant questions surrounding the scheme. He said: “For me one of the key aspects of these plans is the impact on education. The developer has been told they need to contribute funds towards local education but we need to know how and where this money will be spent. I think it’s vital that the development is sustainable in terms of education provision.

“I asked at the meeting for clarification on the distances from the development to local schools, but no one was able to tell me which school was closest. The problem is that – in my view – at least part of the site is closer to Calverley, which would mean parents sending their children to already over-stretched Calverley primary schools. That would not be fair on parents in Calverley.

“There are also questions over the improvements planned to the highways infrastructure. There don’t appear to be enough material improvements planned for the road network to sustain the development."