PEOPLE have been given a first glimpse of plans for a new £5.39 million community centre for a Bradford district village.
A Community, Arts, Heritage and Future Technology (CAHFT) Centre has been proposed for Saltaire - and villagers have been having their say on the scheme.
It is expected to be an initial welcoming point for visitors to be welcomed to Saltaire. The site will also include a public exhibition space, gardens, community classrooms and a new home for the Saltaire Collection.
The CAHFT centre will be located on the site of the former St John Ambulance building and current public toilets and car park on Victoria Road/Caroline Street.
A planning application has yet to be submitted but residents were given the chance to see artist’s impressions at a drop-in event held at Shipley College’s Exhibition Building, Exhibition Road.
The proposal is from Shipley College and Saltaire Collection. The site will feature a roof garden with views to Salts Mill, secure cycle storage lockers and public toilets.
The £5.39m centre has been funded from part of the £25m given to Shipley in the government’s Towns Fund.
The planned start date for work on the centre is August 2023, with the completion date scheduled for August 2024.
Plans for the centre were met with mixed opinions from residents who attended the public consultation event.
Jim Greenhalf, of Saltaire, said: “I have got reservations about it. You can’t keep building new things in a world heritage site and keep throwing it at people.
“Surely there are better sites for it elsewhere.”
He added he was concerned about additional parking needed for the centre.
A Saltaire resident, who did not wish to be named, said: “I think it’s great. It is a good addition to what is already a tourist hub.”
Chris Fisher, of Bingley, said: “It’s nice. I’m for it. There is no starting point for people coming to Saltaire. People just go to the Mill.”
Diana Bird, Shipley College principal, said: “A lot of the aspects of the building will generally interest people and it will embrace what we have in Saltaire.”
She added it was good for those behind the plans to meet people face-to-face and hear concerns about the proposal for the centre.
Residents who were unable to make the public meeting can give feedback on the plans before midnight on Friday, December 2, by email at consultation@shipley.ac.uk or write to the Principal at Shipley College, Victoria Road, Saltaire, West Yorkshire, BD18 3LQ.
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