ONE of Little Germany's most striking buildings could find a new lease of life after almost a decade of lying empty thanks to a London property developer.

Last month the historic area of Bradford became the first place in the country to become subject to a relaxation of planning rules to make it easier to bring empty buildings back into use and for developers to change their use.

Now Vantage Apartments has revealed plans to turn Grade II listed 46 Peckover Street into one and two bedroom apartments. The company submitted a Little Germany Area Local Listed Building Consent Order to make the alterations to bring it back into use.

Despite being classed as a warehouse, the building, built in 1871 by Heugh, Dunlop and Company, is one of the most ornate in the city, and bears a Bradford City Heritage plaque.

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New policies for Little Germany were voted in by Bradford Council last month to help boost occupancy rates in an area where around a third of the buildings are unused.

It is thought that this is the first major project to make use of the new development orders.

The building has most recently been marketed as offices.

Building Consent plans have been submitted, as the conversion will require some small changes to the buildings. They show apartments over six floors of the building, with 17 of the 33 marked on the floor plans being two bedroom. There is also cycle parking and bin storage areas.

The developer's application says: "The building is considered to be one of the highest value, if not the highest value, within Little Germany in architectural terms, being the only one built in the Scottish Baronial style.

"It is grand and ornate in contrast to its lowly description as a warehouse."

Referring to the council's Little Germany Local Development Order, the company says: "It could be argued that the spirit of the LDO was to highlight the plight of buildings like this one, allowing them to survive in a long term term sustainable way for the future."

Dave West, director of Little Germany Action, said: "It is a beautiful building and it deserves the very best.

"I hope the developers go for quality over quantity. I'm delighted someone feels confident enough to invest in Little Germany and I hope it signals that things are looking up for the area.

"The building is empty has has been for about 10 years. I estimate around 1/3 of floorspace in Little Germany is empty, but there are positive signs things are moving in the right direction."

He said the Westfield development on Little Germany's doorstep appeared to be acting as a catalyst for recent development in the area.

Councillor Val Slater, the council's Executive Member for Housing, Transport and Planning, said: "I think it is good news for Bradford, and shows that by introducing the Local Listed Buildings Consent Order we have taken the right steps to make development more straight forward in listed buildings and this has encouraged developers to come forward."