D-day looms for developer’s bid to build 300 flats in city centre
A DECISION on whether to allow a major development on a prominent site in Bradford city centre earmarked for regeneration will be made later this week.
More than 300 flats over several apartment buildings, a filling station, shops, doctors’ surgery and drive-through coffee shop could be built over three empty sites off Thornton Road if the scheme is given the go-ahead.
The plans involve the development of the former gasworks site off Thornton Road, as well as a triangle of empty land at the junction with
Listerhills Road and a vacant plot of land on the other side of Listerhills Road.
Officers at Bradford Council said it could mean three long-term empty sites being put to good use.
Submitted by Mi7 Projects Ltd, the application will go before the council’s Regulatory and Appeals Committee at a meeting on Thursday.
Officers have recommended that the plans be approved.
The gasworks site is currently being used by contractors installing a district heat network under Bradford’s streets.
Plans for a temporary food business to be based on the triangular site until this development is built were recently approved. The redevelopment plan is only in outline form, but sets out where the petrol station and cafe – phase one of the scheme – would be based on the former gasworks site.
Since the plans were first revealed in February 2022, there have been numerous changes made in the application.
The number of flats planned for the scheme was originally due to be 370, before dropping to 261.
The application that will go before councillors this week is now for 307 flats.
At one point the development was due to include a nursery – but this part of the plan has been scrapped.
The site has long been allocated for city centre housing, although Bradford Council had previously hoped that as many as 400 homes could be built on the former gasworks site.
The planning application claims that it would be unviable to construct that many homes on the land.
A report going before members says M17 Projects also argues that the cost of developing the site will mean that it is unviable to create any affordable housing in the scheme.
Thiscostalsomeansthatthedeveloper is unlikely to agree to a request from the council’s biodiversity team to renaturalise a stretch of
Bradford Beck that runs through the area.
The report submitted by planning officers says this is a key site for regeneration in the city.
The report adds: “The Thornton Road site is a prominent site within the city centre has been identified as a key regeneration site.
“The development of the sites would result in three long-standing vacant sites being the subject of development, improving the perception of this part of the city centre, with the benefit of providing a substantive increase in the number of residential dwellings.”
The meeting will be held in City Hall at 10am on Thursday.