THE demolition of a row of derelict shops on a busy Bradford junction is to be prioritised after the project is separated from another nearby scheme which requires one more privately-owned building to be bought up by the Council first.

Bradford Council first applied for permission to demolish five buildings at the corner of Thornton Lane and Cemetery Road at Four Lane Ends back in August.

The work was initially expected to start in April, but appeared to have been delayed as it became linked with a similar demolition scheme at Carlisle Road.

The properties the Council owns - 593 to 601 Thornton Road and 1 Cemetery Road - were originally bought several years ago to allow improvements to be made to the Four Lane Ends junction.

However, funding for the roadworks was not available, and the empty shops have become rundown, attracting anti-social behaviour and vandalism. The shops, which have empty flats above them, include a former carpet shop, fish and chip shop and opticians.

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Shirley Potter, who lives nearby, said she had been in contact with Councillor Val Slater, the councillor in charge of roads and transport at the Council, to check that the demolition work was still going ahead next month as originally intended, only to be informed of the delay.

The 70-year-old, of Thornton Court, said: "I contacted Cllr Slater to ask if the Council was still on course to demolish the disgusting and derelict shops at the corner of Four Lane Ends.

"I was interested to see the Council keep its promise and demolish these shops as they are an eyesore in our area and something should have been done ages ago.

"We have had to look at these disgusting buildings for years and we want something done about it."

Initially there appeared to be some confusion over the buying up of one more building, but now Cllr Slater has confirmed that the Four Lane Ends demolition will be prioritised, although she could not say what the new timeframe would be.

She said: "Over the years we purchase a number of properties when there are plans to do highway improvements. We compulsory purchase things and then there can be a delay before anything happens with them.

"In this instance people have been making representations that they are very unsightly and it was decided to knock them down.

"The Four Lane Ends and Carlisle Road schemes were lumped together, so I have instructed the officers that they be split and that we get on with the Four Lane Ends project as soon as possible."

She added that the contractor was carrying out internal works for the Council at Britannia House in the city centre, but that it was being lined up to demolish the row of shops at the junction of Thornton Road and Cemetery Road.

Chimanlal Patel, of Four Lane End newsagents, in Cemetery Road, occupies the shop at the end of the row.

He told the Telegraph &Argus that he had a couple of years left on his lease, but regularly had problems with anti-social behaviour and break-ins due to the derelict nature of the neighbouring shops.

"I will be glad when the Council demolish these shops," he said.