PLANS are underway to transform a Bradford building into "Grade A" office space once it is vacated by HMRC next September.

Last year Her Majesty's Revenue and Custom announced it would be moving hundreds of staff out of the district, and into a "hub" in Leeds.

It would lead to an exodus of staff from The Interchange building on Nelson Street, Centenary Court near Forster Square and from offices on Salts Mill Road, Shipley.

The owners of The Interchange have now submitted a planning application for the refurbishment of the building, with the aim of attracting new tenants when the HMRC staff leave.

HMRC confirmed to the Telegraph & Argus they will be moving out of the building in September 2019.

This will be followed by staff leaving Centenary Court in 2020/21 and Shipley in Autumn 2020.

In total around 2,000 workers will be moved to Leeds from the Bradford district.

If the plans are approved, the building will be re-branded with new signage, a new more accessible entrance on Nelson Street, better access to the Interchange bus station and new cladding on the building.

The plans have been submitted by Luxembourg based Bourdon Interchange SARL.

David Bailey, the agent behind the application, said: "We have been thinking how to re-position the building to potential new tenants. HMRC don't have customers coming in and out of the building at the moment. We're going to make a better entrance, spinning it around onto Nelson Street.

"There will be a full refurbishment of the lifts, lobbies, all the office space. The aim is to get it to Grade A office space, which there isn't a lot of in Bradford. We want to bring it up to comparable standards you'd get in Leeds."

He said although there was not an exact definition of Grade A office space, it generally includes air conditioning, raised, accessible flooring and suspended ceilings.

Bradford Council has recently spoke of the need for Grade A office space in the city centre, and the planned office development One City Park is a bit to provide such a space in Bradford. A Council meeting was told in June that if a business came looking for a significant grade A office space in the city centre, the council would have nothing to offer them.

Bradford Council is due to make a decision on the Interchange application next month.

Work has also started on the neighbouring building, City Exchange. Lettings Room purchased the empty office building last year, and are in the process of converting it into 119 apartments. That building will also be re-clad as part of its refurbishment.