CONTROVERSIAL plans to turf out the tenants of a Baildon business centre and turn the complex into flats look set to get the approval of planners this week.

This is despite a raft of concerns being raised by locals and heritage groups, including a warning from Baildon Town Council that the closure could have a “domino effect” on the rest of the town.

The plans would see Grade II listed Baildon Mills, in Northgate, turned into 42 flats with a further 14 new-build homes built within the grounds.

But the idea has provoked protests from many in Baildon, including its town council.

In its official objection, Baildon Town Council says that many of the existing businesses use local shops and services during the week.

It says: “The concern is that the daytime economy will suffer as a result of the change of use of the mills, particularly as planned apartments will in all likelihood be occupied by tenants or owners who will commute out of Baildon to work.

“This could, in turn, lead to other closures in the village and a domino effect.”

The Victorian Society has thrown its backing behind the Town Council’s comments, adding: “We object to this application on the grounds that it represents a loss of the original purpose of the premises, which we feel strongly should remain in employment-generating and sustaining uses.”

And Historic England and Bradford Council’s own conservation team have also raised concerns about various aspects of the scheme.

Three separate applications for the site will be decided by Bradford Council’s Regulatory and Appeals Committee on Thursday.

The first, for the conversion of the mills, has attracted a further 19 objections from members of the public, including two ward councillors. Seven people have objected to a linked application for listed building consent, and 16 people have objected to the plans for the new-build homes.

Major development manager John Eyles has recommended that the committee approve the scheme, saying the loss of employment land would cause “relatively limited and localised harm, due to the good availability of alternative premises within the surrounding area”.

He adds that the creation of 56 new homes would “counterbalance” this harm and reduce pressure to build on the Green Belt.

The mill has been owned and occupied by John Peel and Son Ltd since 1937. Cotton combing and wool spinning operations ceased there in the 1960s and most of the site has been rented out as small-scale commercial and office units since the 1980s.

Currently, 33 out of the 58 units are unoccupied, Mr Eyles’ report says.

It says the applicants, John Peel and Son Ltd alongside developers KMRE Group, have provided evidence of “a number of similar small business centres in the area” and had demonstrated that “this one is now no longer economically viable”.

Last year, the applicants sought to change the use of part of the site from offices to homes without going through the full planning process, by asking for the changes to be approved under ‘permitted development’ rules.

This application attracted 179 objections and in the end was refused, with planners saying they could not class it as permitted development because it is on the site of a Grade II listed building.

Planners also raised the possibility that the land could be contaminated.