A LOANS company has revealed plans to convert one of the city's most prominent empty buildings into offices as it continues to expand.

Provident Financial has submitted a planning application for the change of use of the Godwin Street annexe of TJ Hughes, which shut in August 2011 and has remained empty since.

Provident has now acquired the annexe building and its proposals for it also include providing a new restaurant for staff and a roof terrace.

The plans do not include the Sunwin House section of the building which dates back to the 1930s.

A spokesman for the specialist lending company, the headquarters of which are next to the empty store, told the Telegraph & Argus that the plans were in the early stages, and there was not yet any detail on how many new jobs would be created through the expansion.

Earlier this year the company announced it would be expanding and creating new jobs thanks to growth in its Satsuma short-term loans business and Glo guarantor-backed lending business, which is being rolled out following successful trials last year.

The former TJ Hughes store is Grade II listed by Historic England, but as part of the application the company is looking to have the annexe section of the building de-listed.

A heritage statement by the company says that despite the listing, the Godwin Street annexe is "not of special interest". It was built in the 1960s as an expansion to the then Bradford Co-Operative Society department store.

The company's planning application states: "The scheme provides a natural extension to Provident’s existing offices at 1 Godwin Street which are under pressure from strong business expansion and job creation.

"This application will provide an opportunity to bring the building back into use without major demolitions or disruption.

"The development brings a prominent city centre building back into use.

"The re-use of an existing city centre building is an effective and sustainable form of development. The proposal upcycles a building, giving it a new use and refurbishes it for a minimum 40 years of further use."

The outside of the building will be re-cladded, with the finished product designed to look like a natural extension of the company headquarters, according to the plans.

Bradford Council leader David Green said: "Provident Financial is another success story for a Bradford-based company, and I would look forward to that part of the building being brought back into use, and the new jobs that it will create."

A decision on the application is expected in June, and the application states work to convert the building would take about 12 months.