PLANS to turn a long-empty Victorian warehouse into a development of 27 apartments have been given the go ahead.

The proposal for 16-18 Mill Street, opposite the Travelodge in Bradford city centre, first emerged back in 2006 and was given the go ahead - but work never began.

The plan resurfaced in July last year and, nearly a year on, has been given the green light.

The building is Grade II-listed and dates back to the 1870s, when it was built as one of many worsted manufacturing buildings in that area of the city.

In consultation, Conservation Officer Jon Ackroyd said: "The principle of conversion has been previously accepted, and presents a good opportunity for the regeneration of the building and its sustained use for the future."

The application, submitted by HM Properties, said the new use for the building would provide “well-proportioned” one and two-bedroom flats".

The company said the chance of the building once again being used as an employment site was “negligible” and argued that flats would be the best use for the property.

The application said: “The current and potential future use of the site as employment premises is considered to be negligible. This site has not attracted any significant business reuse for many years.

"The proposals seek to bring a vacant, previously-developed site back into beneficial and viable use. Local planning authorities should recognise that residential development can play an important role in ensuring the vitality of centres and set out policies to encourage residential development on appropriate sites.

“The proposals for apartments provide a higher density in an urban location, maximizing the potential of this previously developed and sustainably located site.

"The site has been identified as requiring investment for at least the past 15 years, and since the previous application the building has stood unimproved and continued to decline.

“It is opined that it is now in a poor state of repair and could not be easily adapted to alternative business use. The apartments are envisaged as well-proportioned one and two-bedroom dwellings suitable for anyone wanting to be close to the vibrant heart of the city and the excellent transport links to the wider West Yorkshire area.”

The design of the building is a ‘palazzo’ style - inspired by the Italian Renaissance and popular at the time. As well as the internal refurbishment, the application said the plans will “restore the former glory of the building making good the external envelope, removing the accumulated detritus and replacing the failed windows to match existing”.

In recent years a number of vacant buildings on Mill Street and neighbouring Canal Road have either been converted into flats, or granted permission for such a conversion.