One of Silsden’s largest employers wants to demolish its current base, replace it with a supermarket and build a new factory nearby.

Conveyor and transmission belt manufacturer Habasit Rossi, of Habegger House, in Keighley Road, said it had been working from sub-standard buildings for years and needed better premises to ensure it remained competitive.

The greenfield site recently came under the spotlight after Bradford Council confirmed it had been shortlisted for the possible development of a waste plant as part of its Waste Management Development Plan document.

Habasit Rossi managing director Richard Smith said: “In a global economy we must stay competitive with a first-class workforce and a first-class building to work from. Our existing building is out-of-date and doesn’t suit our business.

“The recent uncertainty regarding the proposed waste management facility has acted as a catalyst. This opportunity gives us the chance to design a new facility exactly to our own requirements and crucially would ensure our future in Silsden, safeguarding 80 jobs in the town.”

Habasit has joined forces with a Lancashire firm, Pendle Projects, to draw up a planning application involving replacing the present factory with a “medium-sized supermarket” and building a new factory on fields between Keighley Road and Belton Road.

Councillor Adrian Naylor (Con, Craven) welcomed the proposals. He said: “This has got to be good news for Silsden. “It safeguards the future of Habasit in our town and brings both new investment and new jobs.”