PLANS to turn a care home that has stood empty for two decades into houses have been approved.

The building, on St Mary's Road in Manningham, has previously been earmarked for re-development of areas damaged during the Manningham Riots of 2001.

In 2015 plans to turn the long empty building, which is in the St Pauls Conservation Area, into a centre for the disabled were approved. However, funding fell through, and that project never came to be.

The building and its grounds, which lie in the St Pauls Conservation Area, have become a target for fly tipping and vandalism in recent years.

Earlier this year a planning application to convert the property into three homes was submitted to Bradford Council by Oak Lane Plaza Ltd.

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The application said the development "would improve the area and stop fly tipping, together with providing much needed large family accommodation to this area as the majority of large properties in the area have been converted into flats or bedsits leaving little or no large family houses."

Planning officers at Bradford Council pointed out that the building is in an area where community use should be prioritised, but added: "Whilst the proposal will see the site developed for a none community use, the proposal will bring a property that has fallen into disrepair back into use.

"Following the conversion of the care home to three dwellings it is considered the proposal will maintain the character of the surrounding conservation area."

The application was approved this week.