PLANS for a new fire escape to be built on the side of a mill in Saltaire have been approved.

The Bradford District Care and Foundation Trust is based in New Mill in the World Heritage Site. Earlier this year the group applied for permission to build a two storey fire escape.

The application said changes made to the building after the 2015 Boxing Day floods meant the existing fire escape was unusable when there are flood warnings.

A new escape would be built on the East elevation of the Grade II listed mill.

The application said: "As a result (of the floods), the whole of Level 1 has had to undergo full refurbishment and reinstatement works. This has included flood resilience measures and a full strategic reorganisation of the building spaces and uses. The flood resilience measures included new flood barriers to door openings to the ground floor. When there is a flood threat the barriers must be in use. When this is the case the building cannot be occupied due to the fire escape strategy being compromised."

The application was approved by Bradford Council last week.

Security features for Saltaire mill site are approved

Officers said; "The proposed fire escape is a lightweight structure that could be removed at a later date with limited impact on the listed fabric of the mill. The design is modern and attractive and not considered substantially detrimental to the mill character, appearance or setting.

"As part of the application consultation Historic England were consulted and have no objections."

Objections had been received on behalf of residents in nearby Riverside Court, who said the fire escape would spoil their views of the mill. They also raised concerns that the fire escape could lead to more staff moving to the mill, leading to extra traffic.

Planning officers replied to those concerns by saying: "It is acknowledged that some flats would have views towards the development but protection of "views" is not a material planning consideration.

"Fears that the additional fire escape facility will allow the building to occupy more workers, and thereby make parking problems worse, seem tenuous.

"The structure is proposed to address current safety issues and there is no suggestion it is part of a deliberate strategy to intensify occupancy."