PLANS to build more than 200 new homes on the former headquarters of a major Bradford catalogue company were today approved by councillors.

Freemans Grattan Holdings had been at the site in Lidget Green since the 1930s, before moving to Little Germany three years ago.

Its old headquarters, Otto House, was demolished in 2012 and the site, at the junction of Ingleby Road and Northside Road, has been vacant since.

The company was yesterday granted outline planning permission to build up to 220 homes there by members of Bradford Council's Regulatory and Appeals Committee.

Councillors imposed conditions that noise needed to be alleviated on the northern boundary of the site which will feature a 20-metre wide 'grass buffer' from the homes.

And they ordered that a sum of £4,135 per dwelling must be used towards enhancing the educational infrastructure at both Lidget Green Primary and Parkside Secondary Schools while a total of £8,000 will also be paid for the implementation of a Traffic Regulation Order to provide a box junction at the junction of Ingleby Road and Northside Road.

The application includes space for a grass football pitch on the south side of Northside Road, which will also include changing facilities. A play area has also been included in the building.

No objections to the plans were submitted.

Councillor Shabir Hussain (Lab, Manningham) raised concerns at the meeting over an increase in traffic that the proposed site could produce.

He said: "I have a very big concern about the busy road at both sides of the development.

"The traffic seems to be building year-on-year.

Luke Herring, of Johnson Brook, which was agents for Freeman Grattan Holdings, replied: "The site is quite central looking to the city centre and people may be using public transport to the site."

Cllr Malcolm Sykes (Con, Thornton and Allerton) added: "This city is desperate for housing."

After the meeting, a Freemans Grattan Holdings spokesman said: "We are very pleased to receive this planning permission, which will help us to move forward with our desire to provide some much-needed homes in the area."

The company added that it was now looking to sell the site.

In 2013, outline planning permission was granted for up to 400 homes, jointly with a neighbouring patch of land under different ownership, but no buyer could be found to carry out the development.

The neighbouring site was formerly Rentokil Initial's factory owned by Isle of Man-based Frankill Limited which remains at the centre of a long-running Environmental Agency probe.