A FORMER nightclub building in Bradford's beleaguered West End is set to be brought back to life as a live music venue.

Flares, at the top of Morley Street, was the last club standing in the once-thriving part of town, with its closure a marker of the demise of the area as a nighttime spot.

But there's hope on the horizon, with the Old Crown on Ivegate announcing it is taking the building on - as well as other Ivegate projects.

Ellen Boyle, from the Old Crown, told the Telegraph & Argus it would be an "extremely big project".

She said: "The idea is to bring this iconic building back to life.

"We have the opportunity to restore the building back to its former glory, back to a live music venue.

"Our vision includes bringing some of the bigger name bands back to Bradford.

"The first thing we did was to ask Bradfordians who they would like to see.

"The results have been very interesting and that's what we are doing at the moment -researching.

"I don't think anyone would take on a project this size without looking at every aspect."

She added: "The potential is amazing. Queens Hall hosted massive Northern Soul events, rock concerts and Indie bands. There is such a wide spectrum.

"It's just a fabulous venue with a massive potential.

"We are looking at the original stage area. It was all boarded up - one of the first things we will do is restore it. The lower floor has a massive dancefloor and that's another area we will be concentrating on."

News of the regeneration has been welcomed.

Bradford BID manager Jonny Noble said: “We’re really pleased to hear there are already plans in place to bring this venue back to life. It’s always good news when an empty property is filled so quickly after becoming vacant. There’s plenty of scope in Bradford to provide for all genres of music, whatever the size of their audience, and this venue close to Bradford Live will help to maintain an evening and night-time economy in the west end of the city centre. If it goes ahead, it will also contribute to the city’s growing live music offering as we work towards the City of Culture 2025 bid.”

Bradford Live, in the former Odeon building, will have its grand unveiling in the 2020/21 season. The venue's transformation will see the renaissance of the beautiful 1930s ballroom, which will become a 750 person capacity space for conferencing and banqueting, while the impressive double height main auditorium will be reinstated as a 4,000 capacity live events venue.

Phil Mead, chairman of the Birmingham-based NEC Group, told the T&A earlier this year: “The venue has seen legends play there, such as the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, and I’ve no doubt that we’ll see legends play there again.

"We'd love to run an opening season, with maybe a rock, family and classical night, rather than just one opening event, as we want to appeal to all demographics."

He added: “As well as creating the full time equivalent of around 50 new jobs, the venue will play an important part in the ongoing regeneration of the city, led by Bradford Council and a range of partners.

“It will help to boost the night time economy of Bradford, increasing footfall in the city which in turn benefits restaurants, bars and hotels."