A project to transform the huge derelict section of the iconic Lister Mill site in Bradford got under way yesterday.

Residents and community leaders gathered for two consultation sessions in the Silk Mill building in Manningham to pool ideas on what developments would most benefit the site.

More than 40 people met in the Manningham Mills Community Centre, in the Silk Hall, at 2pm and 4pm. The part of the site under scrutiny is alongside Beamsley Street, half of Patent Street, and part of Heaton Road, which is home to various empty and crumbling buildings, as well as an area of land that was described as a “total tip”.

The courtyard that separates Silk Mill and Velvet Mill is also earmarked for development. Volunteer consultant on the project, Val Harris, said the community side of the venture was the key for funding from organisations such as the National Lottery.

She said: “If we come up with enough ideas that would make the site sustainable we could go for funding.”

Miss Harris continued: “By this time next year we will know if it is a goer or not – we will know what we will be doing out there.”

She also said: “What we need is something that suits the needs of Manningham and that would be economically viable. What can we use this space for that wopuld benefit the area and bring people in from outside? Benefiting the area is key.”

Residents’ suggestions for the site as well as were plentiful and varied.

They included: a cricket pitch, a swimming pool, a multi-gym, a vineyard, a craft centre, a sensory garden, allotments, a dance studio, and a nature centre for animals.

Miss Harris also talked of creating a cycle track within the grounds for children to learn to ride bikes on – with a view to Sustrans creating a cycle route between the site and Lister Park.

Seth Jenkinson and John Weller live in flats in the Lister Mill block. They attended the consultation at 2pm.

Mr Jenkinson said: “After years of inaction, Urban Splash appears to be getting the community development people involved but it is very dodgy because the site needs an awful lot doing to it. It is a huge site.”

They both welcomed plans to develop the site. The Lister Mill site, which is home to apartments and a college among other things, is owned by developers Urban Splash.