A planning application for 13 light industrial units on a long empty site off Tong Street has been submitted to Bradford Council.
The site on Factory Street was one home to Ackroyds textile mill – a building that was badly damaged in a huge blaze in 2011.
The five-story mill was demolished for safety reasons the following year, and the site has remained empty ever since, often being used by fly tippers wanting to illegally dump waste.
In 2021 a planning application to build an industrial development on the site, submitted by S&W Properties was approved by Bradford Council.
But the work never started, and this planning permission has lapsed.
Since then another application for the site, to create a self storage facility, has been submitted and approved – but work on that development has also yet to begin.
Now S&W Properties has revisited the industrial estate plan, submitting an application for 13 light industrial units spread out over two buildings.
There would be 32 parking bays.
The new application says the plans are nearly identical to those approved in 2021, although this development will include more electric vehicle charging spaces “to accommodate the increase of electric vehicles on the road.”
The application says: “The family has owned the site for many years, and the site once was home to a five-storey red-brick mill, unfortunately the Mill was subject to an arson attack over a decade ago, and the owners ‘lost’ a perfectly decent building which was prime for conversion.
“The site has lay dormant ever since, and once made safe (through demolition) has been targeted by fly-tippers and has encouraged anti-social behaviour.
“A previous planning application was submitted to and approved by BMDC. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, the site was never started and now the planning application has lapsed. The scheme proposal is the same.
“An ambitious programme has evolved where the owner sees the development getting out of the ground pre-Christmas 2025.
“Bearing in mind the same applicant has received full planning consent for the same scheme proposal just five years ago we would hope that BMDC agree that the light industrial proposal submitted is wholly appropriate and can only be a positive influence to the streetscene and neighbourhood and support the application without delay.”
A decision on the application is expected before the end of the year.