COUNCILLORS are to be urged to approve the demolition of a derelict former printers factory in Bradford amid concerns it is a “detriment” to the area and a major fire risk.

A petition has been submitted to the Bradford West Area Committee regarding the condition and appearance of the old Lund Humphries building and another industrial site, known as Unit 71, on Priestman Street in Manningham.

A report due to go before the committee tomorrow states that the owner of the site has failed to co-operate with Bradford Council by either removing the remains of the dilapidated buildings or redeveloping the area, instead undertaking the “minimum of work to alleviate the danger to the public” by merely fencing off the land.

While the Council has no statutory duty or allocated budget to perform work on derelict commercial buildings across the district, the committee is set to be asked to back plans for the authority to fund the demolition work and then try and recoup its costs at a later date.

The report states: “The former Lund Humphries Building and the adjacent Unit 71 have been fire-damaged in separate incidents and other than fencing off the site, the owner has carried out no remedial works.

“The appearance and condition of the buildings and the owners’ lack of progress in redeveloping or removing the remains causes a detriment to the appearance of the neighbourhood.

“Besides being unsightly, the buildings present a potential danger to trespassers into the site. Trespassers have, on a number of occasions, set fires in the former Lund Humphries building, requiring the attendance of the fire service and the on-call building control surveyor.”

West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service confirmed that since the start of September last year, crews had been called to five incidents in and around the former Lund Humphries site, with the most recent incident taking place on August 31, when arsonists set three separate fires on the ground floor.

Rather than relying on the owner to clear the site, the report suggests that “the Council resolves to underwrite the costs and liabilities of carrying out works in default of notice to remedy the condition of the ruinous and dilapidated buildings on Priestman Street, subject to the risks in recovering such expenditure.”

Councillor Shabir Hussain (Lab, Manningham) is backing the petition, which he said had been organised by residents angry at “all sorts of anti-social behaviour” at the site.

He said: “The building is not safe and has been an eyesore for a long time. We have been negotiating with the owner as part of the Manningham Masterplan but have had no success. He either needs to comply with requirements or someone else needs to take control.”