290 home development planned for former HMRC site in Shipley

• Plans for 289 homes at former HMRC site given go ahead
• Huge development planned for old HMRC site is tipped for approval

A DETAILED plans to build a 290-home development in Shipley, complete with shops and a riverside park, have officially been revealed.

The plans – one of the biggest residential schemes proposed for the district in recent years - relate to the former HMRC site on Salts Mill Road, between Shipley and the Saltaire World Heritage Site.

In November 2015, the Government announced the Shipley office of HMRC would close, with staff moved to Leeds.

Despite campaigns to keep the organisation – one of Shipley’s biggest employers – in the town, the office was shut and put on the market.

A new planning application submitted to Bradford Council by Artisan Real Estate says changing working practices means it is unlikely that the existing large buildings would ever be used for offices again.

The full application is to develop the site, creating 289 residential dwellings, including some buildings with “flexible ground floor commercial uses” that the plans say could be cafes or convenience stores.

There will also be a “pocket park” and piazza built on the site – which sits alongside the River Aire.

The residential units will be made up of 144 houses, a mix of one bed, two bed, three bed and four bed homes, and 145 apartments, a mix of one, two and three bed flats.

It said the housing side was designed to tackle the “urgent” need for family homes in Saltaire.

The application says: “As families grow they have a desire to stay in Saltaire but are often required to move to the surrounding areas such as Nab Wood to find larger family homes. The proposed development therefore seeks to provide for an identified local need through the provision of larger family homes.”

It says the apartments will attract “young families and couples” attracted to the area by rail links to Bradford and Leeds.

The application said: “The coronavirus pandemic has severely impacted the way people work and the need for large scale offices has diminished enormously.

“The former owner and occupier of the building was not able to justify operating such a large building as vast numbers of staff began to work fully or partially flexible work schedules. The environmental impact of the coronavirus pandemic resulted in what once was a fit for purpose building becoming redundant with no demand for such a large building to be operational at part capacity.

“This led the operator to market the site for sale, there was no interest from any parties wishing to purchase the site for its current office use and all interest was from residential developers.

“It is established that there is no demand for large scale dedicated office buildings in this location as there once was and the redevelopment of the site for a high-quality residential development incorporating a number of small flexible commercial units is the viable option for such a sustainable location to meet the urgent need for housing in Bradford.”

Artisan has recently been behind developments at New Waverley in the heart of Edinburgh’s Old Town and the transformation of the historic Everard’s Printworks in Bristol’s Old City.

James Bulmer, Development Director for Leeds-based Artisan North said: “Progressing such a large development on the very edge of a UNESCO World Heritage site brings its own set of challenges and responsibilities, and we have taken time to understand and reflect the unique historical contexts of the Salts Mill location. “We have spent considerable time working closely with local residents and groups to ensure our plans meet the need, wants and demands of this unique location.”

He added: “We want this to be a modern interpretation of neighbouring Saltaire, bringing much needed sustainable family housing in an accessible, well connected and environmentally responsible setting – with the added advantage of low energy costs and exemplarily green credentials. “This is a hugely exciting development that will spectacularly open up a large riverside area that has effectively been closed to the public since the 1970s when the HMRC complex was built. Our proposals will bring excitement, interest and investment to the area and provide a natural, contemporary extension of the existing Saltaire footprint.”

The company says that if planning is approved, then work would start next year.

A decision on the application is expected in the New Year.