A MAJOR city centre development is moving a step closer after almost a year of inactivity.

Last April British Land was granted planning permission to demolish buildings on the vacant Royal Mail site off Canal Road and build a leisure development in its place.

Forster Square Leisure would feature a six-screen cinema, eight restaurants and a gym, and create up to 200 jobs.

But despite the plans getting the go ahead from Bradford Council, and British Land telling councillors they would be “on site as quickly as we can,” work has yet to start.

Now British Land, which also owns Forster Square Retail Park, has submitted a planning application to Bradford Council that, if approved, will allow the empty Royal Mail buildings to be demolished as soon as possible.

When the plans were first approved there were numerous conditions imposed that the developer had to meet before any work on the site could start.

They included British Land providing details of future landscape management plans, details of how any foul water will be removed from the completed development, details of what materials the roofing and walls will be made from, and specifications of external light fixtures on the building.

The new application, submitted to Bradford Council this week, would change these conditions, so demolition work could start before they are all met.

However, the developer would still need to meet these conditions once construction of the new building begins.

The site currently includes a large warehouse and multi storey office building.

The development is seen as a major part of the regeneration of Bradford city centre, linking the Broadway Shopping Centre to Forster Square Retail Park.

British Land say that redeveloping the site could create up to 100 construction jobs. It is predicted that demolishing the Royal Mail buildings could take between 18 and 24 weeks.

Council planners will decide whether to alter the planning conditions later this month.

The Telegraph & Argus contacted British Land for an update on the development, but has yet to receive a response.

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