AN empty pub that was at the centre of a shooting incident last year could be converted into a day nursery if new plans are approved.

Izzard Day Nurseries, which runs Ashfield House Day Nursery in Eccleshill, has revealed plans to transform The Sycamores pub on nearby Norman Lane into another nursery.

If approved, the nursery would open five days a week from 7.30 am – 6.00 pm and be fore children from birth to five years old.

The planning application submitted to Bradford Council this week says the new nursery would create 18 full time and nine part time jobs.

The Sycamores hit the headlines last year when it was the target of an attack that saw a sawn off shotgun fired at the ceiling during a busy evening.

Shortly after midnight on August 19 2017 a gang of men stormed the pub, one carrying a baseball bat, demanding to speak to members of a family.

A fight broke out, during which a man wearing a motorbike helmet came into the pub and discharged the shotgun into the ceiling. The men all fled before police arrived.

It led to a major police investigation, and local police described the incident as being “distressing and destabilising” for the local community.

Earlier this year Tobias Conway-Graham, 26, from Telford in Shropshire and who was described as the “leader” of the attack, was jailed for 32 months. Joshua Czener, 27, from Clara Road, Bradford, was jailed for three years.

Sentencing the men, Judge Jonathan Rose said: “This was an appalling piece of violence in a public house in this city.”

The pub is located on a 2,231 site in a residential area on the border of Eccleshill and Idle.

If approved, the pub’s central parking area will be converted into two enclosed play areas, with a 1.5 metre high built around these areas.

Inside there will be a sensory room, parents area and separate areas for babies, toddlers and “tweenies” aged 2-3 and the first floor will be an area for 3-5 year olds.

The application says that it is expected many families will walk to the nursery, there are still 26 parking spaces included in the proposed development.

The application adds: “Careful consideration has been given to the location of the site in terms of the residential area in which it sits and sustainability for amenities and other local facilities.

“It is also within walking distance of our clients other day nursery so both premises will be able to work together and share facilities.”

A decision on the Sycamores application is expected to be made by Bradford Council in early November.

Ashfield House Day Nursery, run by the same group behind this new application, was rated Outstanding by Ofsted on its first inspection in 2014. After that visit inspectors said: “The quality of teaching within the provision is consistently high. This ensures that children make rapid progress with their learning and development.”

If approved it will be the latest in a series of pubs in Bradford to have been converted into day nurseries.

The Kinder Haven chain has converted a number of pubs across the city into nurseries, including the former King’s Head pub on Halifax Road in Buttershaw, the former Westgate Hill Hotel, on Westgate Hill Street in Tong, Prospect Hotel in Eccleshill and the Fiddlers Three on Pasture Lane.