Oddfellows Hall in Shipley can be demolished, as councillors are told how its floor has been stolen

Yesterday the fate of Oddfellows Hall in Shipley was decided when Bradford Council approved plans by the owners to demolish the building.

On the same day an effort to have the pub listed by Historic England failed, when the heritage guardians said not enough of the original building was intact to warrant a listing.

The Otley Road pub dates back almost 180 years, but has been empty since 2013. Since then it has attracted little interest from anyone wanting to re-open the pub, and it has become a target of vandals.

Earlier this summer, current owners Red Box Asset Management began demolishing the building. They were ordered to halt the work by Bradford Council. They said they were unaware of recent government legislation that calls for owners of pubs to submit planning applications before any pub is demolished.

Today the application came before the Council's Keighley and Shipley Area Planning Panel. Martyn Burke, senior planning officer, said: "The building has been boarded up and not used since 2013.

"The people of Shipley have access to a number of other pubs and bars in the town.

"The desire to demolish the pub is down to safety issues. There have been a umber of break ins over the period it has been vacant. Anything of value has been taken, including floor boards, beams and flagstones. The break ins are still going on. It is in a sorry state. The owners are worried they may be liable in terms of someone trespassing in the building and coming to harm.

"There seems to be a lack of any realistic prospect of the building being re-used."

He pointed out that the building was not listed, and was not in a conservation area.

One objector, Ian Bond, said the pub had a rich history, and in 1852 a meeting in the hostelry led to the creation of the Shipley Board of Health, which was a predecessor to the Shipley Urban District Council.

He said Historic England was looking into whether the building should be listed, and asked for the decision to be deferred until a judgement had been made on this potential listing.

He added: "Much of historic Shipley was lost in the 1950s through the 1970s. Let's not repeat the mistakes of the past and lay waste to the town's heritage."

The panel then voted to allow the building's demolition. The applicants have previously told the Telegraph & Argus the site would be used for housing if the demolition was approved.

On the same day the decision was made, Historic England voted not to list the building. In their report, they said: "Oddfellows Hall has, regrettably, undergone partial demolition in 2017 which has greatly reduced the level of survival. Externally, much of the original fenestration was replaced in the 20th Century whilst demolition works have also seen damage or loss of several windows, as well as the removal of stone tiles from the roof.

"The C20 brick-built extension at the rear is unsympathetic to the original materials and construction of the hall, and detracts slightly from that elevation. Internally, the demolition losses are very substantial indeed. Almost all the fixtures and fittings have been removed; several partitions and internal walls have been demolished; as well as losses of panelling, floors and ceilings. The damage to the hall has been so substantial that it has compromised the legibility of its original plan form and function as an Oddfellows lodge, which until relatively recently appears to have been evident."