A MAJOR housing plan for Bradford's iconic Grade II-listed Hallmark House is tipped to be given the go ahead.

The Art Deco building, a landmark site on Bingley Road, Heaton, sold for £6.5 million last year.

It has significant heritage value. The building was designed by Bradford-based architects Benjamin Chippindale and Richard J. Edmondson in 1936 as a purpose-built printing works and office headquarters for W.N Sharpe Ltd and was completed in 1937.

Now more than 80 years on, a proposal to redevelop the site to create nearly 400 flats is due to be discussed by councillors.

If approved, the former Sharps Card Factory building would be converted into 144 flats and an existing warehouse would be redeveloped into 137 flats.

A "limited scale" single-storey extension is also proposed to the rooftop of the factory,

Further to this, the plan includes the construction of a new-build block of 104 flats and the conversion of a single-storey building to provide communal facilities.

In planning documents, the 2131 architect firm said: "The scheme provides a well-balanced design which understands the historic significance of the site and its buildings."

It said the proposals provide a "suitable scheme to re-purpose and protect" the site.

A report to councillors ahead of next week's meeting outlines some of the concerns raised in response to the redevelopment proposal.

These include fears about the overdevelopment of the site, "inappropriate" properties for the area, inadequate parking provision, an increase in congestion, plus and increase in noise and pollution.

Other objections said that it is unclear what the proposed community facility would be used for, and, if it was open late into the evening, would be "harmful" for neighbouring residents.

One objector said a self-contained community for the over 55s would be better. The principal Hallmark House building is described as an "iconic feature" of the area.

"It is one of the few buildings of note of this period in the district and a very good example of the Art Deco style applied to a commercial building," says the report.

Jon Ackroyd, Conservation Officer at Bradford Council, said of the plans "The proposals to the listed building are considered to be proportionate and to predominantly protect its heritage significance."

However, Mr Ackroyd said the proposed phase three development - the new five-storey block to the rear of Hallmark House - would "benefit from a review of its appearance and the relationship this would present with the heritage asset".

The proposed redevelopment of the site follows the relocation of Hallmark Cards and its 500 staff from the Bingley Road site to Dawson Lane, Dudley Hill.

The report says the site is no longer viable for office use and while it was "comprehensively marketed" between April 2016 and late 2017, the one interested party eventually decided it was unviable.

It adds that the development will deliver a "significant" number of residential units, which will cater for first-time buyers and people on lower incomes, in an area where there is currently a "limited supply" of this type of housing.

"In light of the record of persistent under-delivery and the housing land supply shortfall relative to the requirements of the Framework (the National Planning Policy Framework) there is an urgent need to increase the supply of housing land in the district," says the report/

"This proposal would make a significant contribution towards meeting that need.The site is considered to occupy a sustainable location within the urban area. Given the sustainable location of the site and the absence of a five year housing land supply it is considered that the principle of residential development on this site is acceptable."

According to the report, the development, through a section 106 agreement, would generate £377,191 for off-site affordable housing in Heaton or an adjacent ward.

There would also be £33,000 for public transport infrastructure upgrades in the area, plus £7,000 for a Traffic Regulation Order at the site access on Bingley Road. The development would also generate a Community Infrastructure Levy payment of just over £156,909.

The plans will be discussed at a meeting of Bradford Council's Regulatory and Appeals Committee at City Hall on Monday, May 20 from 10am.