PROPOSALS to redevelop a long empty Keighley town centre site have been approved, almost two years after they were first submitted.

A planning application to create an industrial development on the former Hattersley's site was first submitted to Bradford Council in January 2020.

The land, between Church Street and Beck Street and a short distance from Keighley Shared Church, was home to George Hattersley & Sons - a world famous loom manufacturer.

But the site has been derelict for years, and proposals for the redevelopment of the key site, which have included a supermarket and flats, have never materialised.

The new application, by C Altaf Holdings, was approved by the Council last week.

Since the application was first submitted the proposals have been tweaked - with the number of industrial units being built on the site reduced from six to four.

The buildings, classed as industrial or warehousing, would measure a total of 1,451 square foot. Access to the site would be from Beck Street, and there would be tree planting around the site's car park.

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The site falls within the Keighley Town Centre Conservation Area, and there has been calls for something to be done with the prime piece of land for years.

The planning application said: "The site has been used as a dumping ground and left to overgrow, and used by ‘undesirables’.

"Also, in the past, the rear of Hattersley Crescent on Church Street has suffered from vandalism. The proposed scheme will restore a derelict site to economic life and will have a positive impact on this part of the conservation area.”

The amendments to the plans had been made due to concerns of the impact of the plans on nearby Listed buildings.

Officers said: "The site occupies a prominent gateway location on the south side of Keighley and it is located within the Keighley Town Centre Conservation Area in proximity to a number of grade II listed buildings and key unlisted buildings.

"The proposed development has undergone a series of amendments to ensure that its design is informed by a good understanding of the site and its surrounding context.

"It is considered that the development will secure a long-term use for a prominent site within the Keighley Town Centre Conservation Area which has suffered from an extended period of vacancy and has had a negative impact on the character of the area for a significant period of time.

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"Economic benefits would also ensue from the development, in the short term by creating construction jobs and in the longer term by providing employment opportunities."

Conditions of the approval include that the developer widen of Beck Street (between Bridge Street and Heber Street) to allow two-way traffic and narrow a stretch of Heber Street to provide a one-way system.

The site will also have to include electric vehicle charging points.

George Hattersley & Sons, which was founded in 1789, was at one point one of the town's biggest employers.

The firm ceased trading in 1984.