PLANS to demolish industrial buildings in Silsden and build housing in their place have been approved by Bradford Council.

Beckside Works is a derelict set of buildings off St John's Street, and are surrounded on three sides by housing.

Michael Ainsworth Design Partnership submitted plans to flatten the buildings and build seven homes in their place earlier this year.

They described the buildings, which stand within the town Conservation Area, as an "unsightly, derelict warehouse" and said homes on the site would be a "more appropriate scale and use."

The housing would be a mix of three two-bed homes and four three-bed homes.

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The application added: "The proposed development has significant social, economic and environmental benefits, redevelops a brownfield site, comprises the removal of a redundant and unsightly building within the Conservation Area and contribution to the Council’s poor housing land supply."

Planning officers said: "The proposed development would see the sustainable use of previously developed land that contributes to the Council's housing land supply. This does have to be balanced against the loss of the employment site and the potential knock on effect on since there are policies that seek to retain and promote land for economic use.

"In this case the long term future of the use of the site for employment purposes is limited due to the constraints of the site. Moreover there is no commercial activity at the site presently and it is unlikely that another commercial users would take on the site."