THE White Knight tumble dryer factory in Hipperholme is set to be demolished, after the company ceased production at the site.

A notice was submitted to Calderdale Council last month detailing how the buildings on the site at Brighouse Road are to be brought down.

Planning officers have now determined that prior approval is not required so the demolition can be carried out, paving the way for a redevelopment of the site.

It involves demolishing the concrete framed office buildings and former factory outlet facility as well as the warehouses - a total of 24,200m2, which once housed up to 600 workers.

Documents also add that production at the factory as now ceased and "there is no realistic prospect of production re-starting".

The buildings themselves are described as out of date, containing "significant amounts of asbestos" and are a "security and maintenance liability"."

A document submitted as part of the application states: "The site currently accommodates a number of buildings collectively known as the Lightcliffe Factory. These buildings have been occupied by Crosslee Plc for some 40 years for the purposes of manufacturing home appliances.

"Last year Crosslee Plc ceased manufacturing at the site due to competition from the Far East and Eastern Europe. The factory buildings are now vacant and it is proposed to demolish them in advance of redevelopment of the site for mixed use purposes."

The buildings to go are described as the main manufacturing area, an energy centre, the main offices and display showroom, a tool room, storage and warehouse areas and the finished product storage area.

It adds that in addition to the factory buildings, the site includes an effluent plant and a water tank; an external paint and oil store; an external joiners ship; a sprinkler pump house; a gatehouse building; roadways and parking areas; and utility pipework and cabling.

"The purpose of the proposed demolition is to demolish the now redundant Lightcliffe Factory to facilitate comprehensive redevelopment of the site for mixed uses including housing and new job-creating uses.

"A planning application in due course will be made for the redevelopment of the site."

Any asbestos will be removed from the buildings before demolition takes place, and a "soft strip" of fixtures and fittings will take place first.

The main offices and display showroom will be brought down in a piecemeal manner, breaking off small portions of concrete and masonry, starting at the highest point allowing the debris to drop within the footprint of the building and the exclusion zone.

For the steel framed structures, such as the warehouses, the steel roof and cladding will be removed using a high reach grapple excavator and will be recycled. Steel trusses and the frame of the building will be sheared through and removed.

Hardstanding and foundations will be cleared using an excavator and suitable materials will be crushed and left stockpiled on site for use as the site is redeveloped.

The process is expected to take 30 weeks and the will normally be carried out Monday to Friday.

Crosslee already has outline planning permission to build 50 homes on a separate part of the site, surplus land to the north of the factory, after winning an appeal in 2018.