A NEW development of 150 homes for rent could be built on land off a major Bradford road.

The plans have been lodged with Bradford Council by Caddick Land for land to the south of Rooley Crescent, off the busy Rooley Avenue route in Odsal. The application, which also includes the demolition of an existing property on Rooley Crescent, says the proposed homes will be "conventional one, two, three, four bed houses" - all on a build to rent basis "to address the shortage of new build rental accommodation in Bradford".

Caddick Land will build and manage the properties.

"In the adopted Bradford Replacement Unitary Development Plan (2005), the application site is designated as part of a wider greenspace area," says the application.

"Part of the site is also safeguarded as a highway improvement scheme that would connect to a proposed park and ride scheme on adjacent land to the west.

"However, it is noteworthy that in the first draft of the Bradford Land Allocations DPD (Issues and Options) all of the application site is shown as a potential development site."

Working on the estimation of the application being approved in summer, the application says the development could begin by late this year/early next year, with completion of the site by 2022.

The application says: "The development will help to diversify the housing offer in the area, and provide high quality, affordable homes to those that cannot, or do not yet wish to, purchase a property. Renting has become increasingly mainstream in recent times, rather than something reserved for students and those requiring a temporary stop-gap.

"Aside from affordability, studies have shown that many rent by choice; choosing flexibility over a large mortgage commitment."

It adds: "With much faster occupation rates, creating a critical mass of residents and a sense of community can be achieved much more quickly with build-to-rent developments than with build-to-sell, where sales are usually phased over a number of years."

The development will provide a mix of housing types, but the application says there will be a "strong emphasis" on family homes. There will be 20 one-bedroom properties, 23 two-bedroom properties, 93 three-bedroom properties and 14 four-bedroom properties.

The development will be accessed via Rooley Crescent, through the demolition of an existing property.

In outlining public consultation undertaken while the proposals were in development, the application highlights a number of concerns which were raised, including an increase in traffic and congestion, disturbance during the construction period, proximity to existing housing, ecology and wildlife worries, the ground condition, oversubscription of schools and GP surgeries and it being a "significant distance" to local shops and facilities.

But it concludes: " In the context of there being a substantial need for housing in the District, the contribution that the proposed development can make towards housing supply is considered to represent a significant positive impact.

"It is our view that the positive impacts of the proposed development would not be significantly and demonstrably outweighed by negative impacts."