PLANS have been submitted for 72 new student flats on the outskirts of Bradford city centre.

Documents lodged with Bradford Council say the proposed development currently forms part of the car park which served the former Joseph Brennan house on Sunbridge Road.

The application says the proposed development would be a "good move" for the city and would help "counteract the decline of the local area" and bring more life and activity to that part of the city.

"Joseph Brennan House has been converted to student accommodation and more recently planning permission was granted for change of use of three floors to guest house use," the application says.

"The restricted provision of car parking associated with those changes has resulted in there being no further requirement for the car park and therefore, it could be redeveloped for other purposes."

The so-called 'Shaftesbury Suites' will be housed in a new six-storey building and will include 54 studio flats, 12 one-bedroom apartments and six two-bedroom apartments.

A design and access statement submitted with the application says it's envisaged the new development will have a "contemporary appearance" made with golden buff brick, grey aluminium windows, grey stone cladding and grey aluminium cladding.

The application says it would be difficult for the project to "respond to the context set by surrounding buildings" as required in the Bradford City Centre Design Guide because two very different buildings flank the site.

The application says: "It is proposed that the new development should adopt a design style to reflect other contemporary structures being developed in the city centre."

It adds: "The building is close to the city and residents are discouraged from using their own transport.

"Operation of Sunbridge Halls partially as student accommodation and partially as guest house accommodation provides certifiable evidence that there is effectively no demand for the vehicle parking designated through earlier planning permissions.

"Accordingly, it is proposed to designate the vehicle parking between Sunbridge Halls and Shaftesbury Suites for the dedicated use of the latter."

The application states: "The design lends itself to a successful residential accommodation scheme and will present itself as sympathetically designed architecture for the northern ‘zone of repair’ of Bradford.

"It is of the firm belief that this is a good move for City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council and should be seen as a contribution to the ‘zone of repair.’

"It is anticipated that the proposed development will counteract the decline of the area by providing high quality accommodation and a significant increase in local consumers.

"It is anticipated that this proposal will bring more life and activity to the area."

For more information about the development, search for reference 18/00383/MAF on the Council's online planning portal.