The architects behind a controversial multi-storey student building near Bradford’s iconic Alhambra Theatre have agreed to alter their plans to protect the city’s skyline.

An application for a 16-storey building on the site of the empty Castaways nightclub was first submitted in November, and has attracted a number of objections, including from English Heritage.

Although it did not object to the idea of student flats on the site, the organisation called for the application to be thrown out, saying the building would be an “obtrusive and jarring” element in the skyline of that area of the city, which includes both the Odeon and the century-old Alhambra Theatre and is a conservation area.

Now, four months after the application was first submitted, Riverside Architects has amended its plans – reducing the size of the building by several floors and adding an area that could be used for public art. It hopes the changes will persuade planning officers to approve the application.

Although the original deadline for commenting on the application was mid-December, the Council says any concerned parties could still have their say on the revised plans through the Council’s website.

The original plans would have included accommodation for 263 students as well as ground-floor shops and cafes.

The business premises remain, but the amount of accommodation will have to be decreased.

Francesco Pacitto, from Riverside, said: “The building is about four or five storeys lower now. That has meant less rooms.

“The key issue people had was the building’s effect on the city’s skyline.

“We have spoken to English Heritage and they seem to be appeased by these changes.”

Julian Jackson, Bradford Council’s assistant director of planning, transportation and highways, said: “The revisions have been uploaded onto the Council’s website and are available for the public to view.”