A DERELICT Victorian building in Bingley could become a fish and chip restaurant under plans submitted to Bradford Council.

The Station Master’s House, in Wellington Street, was bought by Bingley Property Holdings (BPH) after standing empty since the 1990s.

The company has carried out preliminary refurbishment work over the past three months, and now plans have been submitted to convert the building into a fish and chip restaurant with a takeaway.

The applicant is Hopscotch Taverns, which is run by Jo and Matt Hogg, licensees of the Brown Cow pub, also in Bingley.

The 28-seater restaurant, which would create 15 jobs, would be their second business venture in the town and the pub would remain open and under their ownership.

They hope to open the restaurant in May or June next year, if approved by planning chiefs.

They have also applied for an alcohol licence for the site.

Under the plans, a new level threshold and ramp will be provided off Park Road with an extension to the side and back of the building, which is required to create enough space for a disabled toilet and restaurant area.

The back section of the extension is in the same position as a demolished extension.

Jo Hogg, co-director of Hopscotch Taverns, said: “It is quite an exciting project for us.

“The character of the building is fantastic. We had been looking for a second site for a while, as we said we weren’t going to do it unless it was right.”

David Heseltine, co-director of BPH, who is also a Bingley councillor, said he was pleased to attract an established Bingley business to take over the building and had received positive feedback from residents.

He said: “They are a tried and tested local company who have been established and are a good fit and it shows local people working together.

“The building has sat there doing nothing for Bingley for a number of years. It is about time it was used.”

The building’s previous owners, Whetley Mills Limited, of Thornton Road, Bradford, who paid £275,000 for the site in May 2006, put the building up for sale in June.

A previous planning application to demolish outhouses to enable extensions to provide a retail unit, hot food takeaway and five flats were refused by Bradford Council in 2008.

The site’s overgrown garden was cleared of litter in March this year after Bradford Council wrote to its owners to formally request the work.

Whetley Mills Limited said at the time its maintenance team cleaned up the site twice a year.