A COUNCILLOR has raised concerns about the future of a derelict mill which he says is blighting his community.

Police are treating a blaze that broke out at Laisteridge Mills, at the junction of Listerhills Road and Smith Street, as arson. Fire crews from seven stations across the city and wider district were needed to tackle the incident, which happened just yards from the student village at the University of Bradford shortly before 7pm on Thursday.

City ward councillor Azam Nazam said it was heartbreaking the building was in such a bad state but it was only going to get worse unless action was taken.

“In an ideal world it would be good to see the building saved and put back into some good use, like housing. We have seen such examples of that happen but I’m afraid we’ve got to be realistic and it’s probably just wishful thinking, especially in today’s economic climate.

“I’m not sure who owns it and obviously they have a say in what happens next but it would be sad to see it disappear from the city’s landscape forever.”

And he added: “The problem is that it is derelict and that has an impact on the local community. Not just because of how it looks but also because it attracts anti-social behaviours and all the negatives which come with that. And of course there’s the cost to society as well, taking into account attendances from the fire service and police.

“And then there is the health and safety issue of those emergency service personnel going into the building, we don’t know how safe or unsafe it is. There’s also the safety of the rough sleepers and others who dare to go in there for whatever reason.”

An area of 50 metres by 30 metres in the building’s roof space was on fire on Thursday and police had to close off the road until the area was made safe. The large, empty mill has been a magnet for intruders, and the inside of the ground floor was already covered in graffiti. The mill did not seem to have suffered any major structural damage in the fire.

Mike Cartwright, of Bradford Property Forum, said: “It’s unfortunate that we have so many old buildings that are being left empty when some will have the potential to be brought back into use. However, the longer they remain empty, the more difficult it becomes to renovate and re-occupy them. Unfortunately, it is often the case now that, for those operating in the development and construction sector, it is less expensive to build new from scratch than to refurbish and re-build an old property.”

Anyone with information should call police on 101 quoting crime reference number 1663 of June 2.