A plot of scrubland that its owners claim has been used for drug taking, arson and prostitution could soon be turned into a car park.

They say that at the seemingly innocuous piece of land, off Brownroyd Hill Road, it is not unusual to find discarded needles, burned traffic cones and “accoutrements” of prostitution.

A planning application has now been submitted to turn the land into a parking area, and build a boundary wall around the site.

Work has already started on the site, and this week Andrew Lacey submitted a planning application for the changes to Bradford Council. It will create six new parking spaces.

The land is owned by neighbouring business Joshua Thomas & Partners Engineering Group, and the application includes details of the issues they have encountered with the site, which is next to a bus stop and an electricity sub station.

They say the car park will allow staff to park their cars off the main road, improving traffic flow.

The application says: “The overgrowth on both sides of the boundary wall has not only restricted pedestrian along the footpath down to 450mm but offered a shield to mask numerous crimes.

“Due to Police and Council cutbacks the footpath this area is left unchecked or maintained thus exacerbating the problem.

“Our CCTV footage of the area has captured on more than one occasion persons using the area for sexual activity, as the area is screened from the public gaze. Discarded accoutrements from these activities have been discarded on the proposed parking area, causing a health hazard to anybody accessing the area.

“It is clear that the area as it stands attracts activities that is not aligned with what the local community desire from the area they work and live in.”

It says fire crews have been called to the site on numerous occasions due to arson incidents there, including one occasion when traffic cones and plastic road barriers were destroyed.

The applicants say they have had to call out people “experienced in handling drug paraphernalia” to remove discarded needles from the site, and that they have lost £7,800 worth of equipment from thefts that saw people use the overgrown vegetation to mask their crimes.

The application says: “Due to Police budget cuts to date nobody has been prosecuted for these crimes despite CCTV footage.

“Regeneration of the area will mitigate this organised criminal operation.”

Pupils from nearby Southfield Grange school are also said to use the land as a place to smoke, hidden from view.

The applicants say this puts them at risk of standing on a needle or “discarded accoutrements from prostitution activities.”

A decision on the application is expected in early January.