Doubt cast on housing plan for old Yorkshire Martyrs site

It emerged last month that the owners of the former Yorkshire Martyrs site, on Westgate Hill Street, Tong, submitted an official application for pre-application advice from Bradford Council for a “sympathetic scheme of a mixture of dwelling types, sizes and styles that will deliver a full contribution of affordable housing and the type of accommodation required as identified in the local plan”.

Green Party councillors for Tong said there is little that can be done with the land, aside from education or recreation and no-one other than Bradford Council will be able to take it on.

But the Council said that in the current economic climate, that's not feasible. 

Yorkshire Martyrs pictured in 2018

The school closed its doors back in 2010 following a restructuring by the Diocese of Leeds and the building was then purchased by Batley-based Apollo Beds.

The site has become a magnet for anti-social behaviour since the school closed and in 2019, a court case was brought against the firm’s directors Atsham Ul-Haq, Azhar Ul-Haq and Imran Ul-Haq in 2019, where they were accused of failing to ensure the site was secure and ordered to pay more than £20,000.

It was claimed that no sooner had they secured the site, more damage would be caused.

Architect James Hartley previously told the Telegraph & Argus said his client is “desperately” trying to find a way forward for the site and security has been ramped up.

He said there needs to be a clear indication from Bradford Council of what the site can be used for, but they were finding it “exceptionally difficult” to work with the local authority.

Bradford Council did not respond to those comments at the time.

The school site pictured in 2019

Councillor Matt Edwards (Green, Tong) has been campaigning for action to be taken over the site. He said: “The former school site is completely surrounded by Tong Leadership Academy and there is no way housing would be allowed here.

“For safeguarding reasons, the school needs to have a secure perimeter and that is completely incompatible with a housing development.

“Any planning application for houses here is a work of fantasy.”

Cllr Edwards and his fellow Green Party councillor Celia Hickson said the owners must be forced to demolish the building.

Mr Hartley said the demolition process “will be exceedingly expensive, so cannot be carried out without a plan in place”.

Cllr Edwards said that if they cannot afford to demolish the building, they should never have bought it in the first place.

He added: “The owners bought this site knowing exactly what they were buying. They need to stop complaining and take responsibility and get the building demolished.”

Meanwhile, Cllr Hickson ramped up her calls for Bradford Council to step in.
She said: “The site is such a prominent site and it is an absolute eyesore. It’s one of the first things you see when you enter Bradford from the A650.

“We are going to be Capital of Culture in 2025, what are people going to say if this is one of the first things they see when they enter Bradford?

“Due to where this is, there is very little that can be done with it other than education or recreation.

“No one else is going to be able to take this site on other than Bradford Council.”

She added: “Money is available to buy assets in the city centre but places on the outskirts are being forgotten about.”

A spokesperson for Bradford Council said: “We have been pushing the owners for some time now to secure the site, demolish the building and redevelop it.

“We have backed this up by issuing a Community Protection Notice which lead to a successful prosecution and a £20,000 fine.

“In the current economic climate, it’s not possible for the Council to purchase properties like this without significant funding from outside sources. 

“We will continue to place pressure on the owners to sort this site out and won’t hesitate to take further enforcement action if necessary.”

When the Telegraph & Argus contacted Azhar Ul-Haq, he said he did not wish to make a comment, but directed the Telegraph & Argus to architect, Mr Hartley. 

He said: "We've put forward our perspective, that's all we have to say on the matter until we get some movement on our application (the application for pre-application advice) that's already been submitted."