A former community centre and Council offices can now be used for homeless people to sleep on freezing nights.

During the day, 20 Green Lane, Manningham, Bradford, will be used as an assessment centre and cold weather hub for Hope Housing – which is one of several organisations involved in the Cold Weather Provision service which offers extra accommodation on very cold nights.

Overnight, the building, which is owned by owned by social housing provider Incommun-ities, can provide up to 15 emergency bed spaces.

Incommunities applied in December for the building’s change of use for a two-year period, which has now been granted by Bradford Council.

A Council officer’s report said: “Initially, it is proposed that homeless accommodation will be provided only when the external temperature drops below 0ºC though this arrangement is to end in April 2014 after which the housing association will continue to use the building throughout the year to provide emergency overnight accommodation for rough sleepers.

“During the day housing association officers will work with the homeless to help them access permanent settled accommodation and lead sustainable lives to prevent further rough sleeping.

“The hostel element would be carefully managed with homeless people referred after being assessed by a Council-operated day shelter.”

Adrienne Reid, Incommunities assistant chief executive, Neighbourhood Services, said: "We are delighted to have secured planning permission to bring back into use these empty premises owned by Incommunities.

"We are working with Hope Housing to enable the building to be used as a base for a temporary homeless service and anticipate doing the refurbishment work in the coming weeks ahead of handing over the facility to them.

“We are also discussing with the Council using the building to provide much needed emergency and life saving overnight shelter under Bradford's Cold Weather Provision."

Councillor Val Slater, the Council’s executive member for housing, said: “Now planning permission has been granted, it can be sorted out as soon as possible because now the nights are getting chillier, people that will use it need it quickly.”