EYESORE buildings which are a blight on Bingley should be smartened up urgently says the town’s new council, which has written to the properties’ owners, including Bradford Council.

Bingley Town Council has written to the owners of the station master’s house at the junction of Park Road and Wellington Street, the former Technical Institute on Mornington Road and former Bradford and Bingley Building Society headquarters, now owned by Sainsbury’s.

“We want to know exactly what their plans are for these sites and have asked them to share their thoughts with the council by the end of August,” said its chairman, Councillor Terry Brown.

The town council is also investigating if it can ask Bradford Council to use legal powers to issue a notice on the station master’s house and the Bradford and Bingley site to order that the properties be repaired or made more presentable.

It is also to request information about a 2010 change in a covenant on the Sainsbury’s site to allow part of the land to be built on after demolition of the building society building.

And it is asking for all three sites to be included in Bradford Council’s Land Allocations Plan as areas which can be developed for housing.

Bradford Council is currently consulting on those land allocations.

Cllr Brown said: “For too long these sites have blighted Bingley.

“Many groups and individuals in our town have tried to make progress on these eyesores, but we hope that, as a council, we can work with the owners to find out their plans and encourage them to bring these sites into productive use, either residential or commercial.”

A Sainsbury’s spokesman said of the nearly-demolished B&B building: “We are in discussions with a number of parties who are interested in developing the land.”

Usman Hussain, a director of Whetley Mills (Property) Ltd which owns the prominently-sited station master’s house, said early plans to develop it as a residential and business property were shelved and it was now up for sale.

“We have no plans for it at all and are looking at offloading it at the earliest opportunity,” he said, adding they would respond to any letter from Bingley Town Council.

Councillor Alex Ross-Shaw, executive member for regeneration, planning and transport at Bradford Council, said: “We understand people’s concerns and we are regularly in contact with the owners of empty properties or unused sites to discuss how we can assist them in bringing them back into use.

“Progress on the annexe on Mornington Road has been complicated by the need to comply with certain charity requirements; however we are actively working towards being able to put the property on the market, so that it is able to be reused.

“In light of the national news about Sainsbury’s no longer planning to go ahead with building Netto stores, I have written to them asking them what they are planning to do about their site in Bingley.

“We will respond to the specific issues raised in the letter from Bingley Town Council as soon as we get it,” said Cllr Ross-Shaw.