Former industrial sites ‘have lots of potential’ (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Former industrial sites ‘have lots of potential’

8:49am Wednesday 4th January 2012 in News By Marc Meneaud

Councillor Martin Love

Developers need to start building homes on brownfield sites in Shipley to meet a target of 2,000 new houses and kick-start the town’s regeneration over the next two decades, a councillor has argued.

Many plans have been put forward – some already agreed by Council planners – to demolish disused waterside mills and regenerate former industrial sites in areas such as Dockfield Road, Salts Mill Road and Otley Road.

Further east, large areas off Leeds Road, Windhill, have also been granted planning permission for homes, but remain areas of wasteland until building starts.

Shipley Councillor Martin Love said more needs to be done to encourage developers to begin building projects to meet the district’s housing demands.

A consultation is under way on the Local Development Framework (LDF), a blueprint to shape house building in Bradford District, which states the area needs 45,500 homes by 2028.

Under the LDF, nearly two thirds of all the new homes will be built in Bradford, Shipley and Lower Baildon.

Shipley will become a “vibrant focal point” for regeneration, with much-improved transport links, hi-tech industry and 2,000 new homes, according to the draft plan.

A land assessment, known as the SHLAA, has been carried out by Bradford Council to look at what areas of land may be developed.

It identifies three sites in Dockfield Road and Dock Lane, which could yield about 130 homes, including the former Regent Mill, which has been bulldozed but where homes have not yet been built.

There is also previously developed land in Wrose Brow Road and Wood End Crescent, where developer Keepmoat Homes and a social housing provider are looking to build a housing estate.

Other smaller areas, which would be available for homes, are identified in the SHLAA in Crag Road and around Bradford Beck, in Lower Baildon and in Wycliffe Road.

The study also indicates green belt land in Nab Wood, which could yield nearly 200 homes.

Coun Love (Green, Shipley) said: “There are ideal sites in Shipley which have already been given planning permission. We need to look at areas like those before we look at green fields.

“Every week in the Telegraph & Argus there are people quite rightly complaining about overloading their areas with housing, yet there are lots of sites in Shipley which could be developed.

“What we need is areas of land to be properly phased so that we make sure that brownfield sites are developed first. Then, if we need more homes, we can look again at other sites.”

Shipley town centre will benefit from improved transport links as a hub between Bradford and Airedale, including a new train station at Manningham.

Coun Love said it was vital that transport improvements were made a priority in the LDF for the road and rail infrastructure to be able to cope with the huge number of proposed new homes.

He said: “We have got to have better and additional peak-time train services and services late at night and early in the morning, to give people the confidence to develop these areas.”