A PROPOSAL to knock down a derelict cemetery chapel has been withdrawn by Bradford Council after the authority revealed it had received interest in the Grade II-listed building.

Plans had been submitted for the partial demolition of the neglected and crime-ridden chapel at Bowling Cemetery, Rooley Lane, Bradford, to make way for the creation of a memorial garden.

The move was designed to cut crime at a problem hotspot where a “staggering” number of offences are said to have taken place, but objections were submitted by English Heritage and the council's own conservation department.

There are no indications as yet as to who the interested parties are, but John Scholefield, Bradford Council's bereavement and amenities manager, said: "We have withdrawn our application to demolish the chapel in Bowling Cemetery as we have recently received two expressions of interest in the building and wish to explore all other possibilities."

The Roman Catholic chapel, built more than a century ago, has been vacant since 1987 and has become a magnet for “serious and persistent” crime, while also consuming public resources, according to the original planning application report.

It revealed that Bowling Cemetery had been hit by the vandalism of numerous gravestones, as well as muggings and assaults in recent months, cataloguing 15 offences committed at the site between February 1 and July 31 this year.

English Heritage had urged the council to allow more time for the search for parties to take responsibility for the building, saying that while they understood the pressures on local authority resources, "listed buildings are irreplaceable assets of national importance".

Jon Ackroyd, conservation officer at Bradford Council, agreed that not enough had been done to market the building, adding in his report that there was "no compelling evidence" that the building was the root cause of crime and anti-social behaviour in the cemetery.

"Whilst there are benefits to the cemetery in removing what may be considered by some as a visual blight, the presence of the chapel does not hinder the continuing use of the cemetery," he stated.

"Whilst it is clear that the Bradford Building Preservation Trust do not wish to pursue this potential project, the building does not appear to have been offered to the open market or potential interested parties, even with potential constraints.

"Whilst the future of this heritage asset is clearly problematic and requires resolution, the benefits promoted are insufficient to outweigh the harm associated with total and irreversible loss of the asset."

Earlier this year, Bradford Council sent emails to groups, such as Friends of Bowling Park, potentially interested in taking on the chapel but no-one took up the offer.

The design access and heritage statement in the original planning application, prepared by William Cartwright, of Heritage Planning Design, said it was "with regret" that an application for demolition was being made, but added that the existing situation was "unsatisfactory and not sustainable."

The Victorian chapel was part of the original design of the cemetery, that dates back to 1886, but wasn't built until sometime between 1893 and 1908, becoming Grade II listed in May 1988.