A NEW restaurant and banqueting hall could be opened if ambitious new plans to transform an empty mill are approved.

Westfield House on Ingleby Road, a former Grattan catalogue shop, is the subject of a new planning application that has been submitted to Bradford Council.

Mohammed Tayyab has applied to convert the vacant building from retail use to a restaurant, banqueting suite and catering facilities.

The application says the facility is needed because of the increasing demand for Asian wedding venues across Bradford.

The mill dates back to the 1930s, and was converted to a clothes shop with warehouse space in the early 1990s.

The application says the building “appears to be sound, but is in a poor state of repair internally” and says there will be major external improvements.

Plans show that internally the building will be split into a 290 square metre restaurant and a 1,040 square metre banqueting hall, complete with a stage.

According to the application, the restaurant would create 10 jobs, and the banqueting suite would employ an additional 17 staff.

It adds: “It is hoped that as the business matures, staffing numbers will increase.”

The business would have parking for 63 cars, and six disability spaces.

The application points out that there are already a number of other Asian wedding venues nearby, but says that they are often booked “months in advance” during peak wedding seasons.

It says: “”Bradford has established itself at the heart of the Asian cuisine sector, and has secured the title of the Curry Capital of the UK for the last six years.

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“Over recent years, the demand for banqueting facilities to serve the Asian wedding market has grown significantly. This growth combined with a limited choice of venues in the city has led to a number of new venues opening across the city to serve this growing sector.

“Different wedding halls meet different customer needs.

“An additional benefit of having a variety of wedding halls in the same area means the demand for wedding halls can be better met, especially in peak wedding season as there are often multiple weddings at the same time, and the majority of wedding halls are booked out months in advance.”

The application adds: “Overall the scheme will bring a large unused building back into life, and re-energise this area of Bradford.”

It says there are no other buildings of the required size in the area that could accommodate Mr Tayyab’s plans.

Bradford Council is expected to make a decision on the plans late next month.