PLANS to refurbish a former tannery in Bingley would "remove significant and characteristic features" of the building, according to heritage officers.

Bradford Council has this week refused plans by Philip Thompson to alter windows of the five storey, Old Tannery building on Clyde Street, built in 1900.

The building has more recently been converted into apartments.

The plans were to replace existing wood frame single glazed windows and repair and redecorate various timber elements such as cladding panels and structural timber columns.

Three storeys of the building are stone built, with the top two being timber built, which heritage officers say is a "characteristic feature of leatherworks."

The planning application said: "Repairs were considered, however the scale of deterioration of the existing units means full replacement remains the only option. The works are felt necessary to resolve the issue of moisture ingress to the internal apartments.

"This will allow the residents of the apartments, and local community to feel a sense of pride in the property rather than watch the building fall into decline."

Heritage officer Jon Ackroyd said the proposed changes "would result in windows significantly different to that which exists. The current method of operation is reflective of the original industrial function of the building, affording controlled ventilation to the leather drying lofts, and is unchanged from the original.

"The substitution with windows of modern section and conventional operation would remove a significant and characteristic feature of the building, replacing it with a more generic and less relevant alternative. This would result in harm to the authenticity and significance of the listed building."