A NEW set of plans to transform an overgrown former garden centre have been submitted to Bradford Council.

The former Saltaire Garden Centre and Nursery, next to the Leeds Liverpool Canal, has been empty for a number of years, and is now an overgrown eyesore on the otherwise picturesque canalside walk.

Last year an application to develop the site by building three homes and a woodland trail.

However, the plans, by Hartley Quality Residential Developments, were thrown out by Bradford Council last year.

There were several reasons for refusal, including inappropriate development in the Green Belt, that the scale of the development was out of keeping with the Leeds-Liverpool Canal Conservation Area, that it would cause an “intensified use” of Hirst Mill Crescent, the impact on local ecology and biodiversity, and the lack of detail over the planned woodland trail.

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The company has now returned with a new application for the site, and say the new application addresses the previous reasons for refusal.

The application, submitted to Bradford Council, says it is unlikely the site will become a garden centre once again, adding: “It is considered that due to site access issues for deliveries and lack of site space, the attraction for the site as a nursery operation has been significantly reduced. As such no tenant has been forthcoming despite marketing efforts to the contrary.”

While the previous application had little detail of what the proposed woodland trail would consist of, the new application includes a woodland management plan - and says the trail would be adopted by a local community group.

On the woodland trail, the application says: “This has the potential to become a prized community asset, like Hirst Wood nature reserve on the other

side of the canal. Over the years, the local community (including Hirst Wood Regeneration Group and other local residents) has expressed an interest in the site and a campaign started to give the community access to make it into a community recreation space.

“The community have protested over the dilapidated condition of the existing site and the fact that the site is currently going to waste when it could be put to good use.

“The applicant is prepared to discuss the details of this with the council during the application process and is open to ideas and mechanisms for its delivery.”

Referring to one reason for refusal of the last application, that the houses would be of “substantial scale” the report says: “To call the houses ‘substantial’ is an exaggeration considering that they are broadly in line with the minimum government standards.”

It argues that the houses would cause less traffic than the garden centre did.

So far three people have written to the Council to support to the plans and six people have written to object. One objector - Matt Edwards from the Green Party, said the development would increase vehicle movements over the canal bridge, and that there was little difference to the previous plans.

A decision is expected next month.