Work to refurbish eyesore Bradford city centre building is approved

Overlooking Oastler Square, 19 Northgate has been derelict for years – despite being in one of the most prominent spots in Bradford’s Top of Town area.

Apart from its crumbling signage and boarded up windows, the building is most famous for its statue of a greyhound, which is painted to look like a dalmatian, sat on a second-floor ledge.

The statue at 19 Northgate (Image: newsquest)

Late last year a planning application to bring the building back to life was submitted to Bradford Council by Salim Khan.

The plans would see the ground floor shop unit restored in the hope of attracting a new tenant.

The upper floors would be converted into seven, one bed flats.

A courtyard area with shared garden and cycle storage will be created to the rear of the shop.

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The area in front of the building is currently undergoing a huge refurbishment, with a pocket park being developed in Oastler Square.

The project, partly funded by the National Lottery and EU, will see new planters, trees and seating created in the square to create a new city centre park.

The listed statue of Richard Oastler in the centre of the square will be cleaned and retained as a centrepiece to the park.

Work to create a pocket park in Oastler Square (Image: newsquest)

Planning officers said the scheme “will encourage the welcome re-use of the building.”

They added: “The proposal will not alter the building's frontage, beyond a simple renovation of the existing joinery and fenestration consisting of the removal of redundant signage and installation of new windows and the introduction of a new shopfront which, are considered to significantly improve the character and appearance of the building, the wider street scene and the conservation area and the development is therefore acceptable in terms of its visual impact.

“The plan would bring into use an empty and derelict building and contribute to the vitality of Bradford city centre.”

One condition of the application will be that the flats would need to have adequate sound insulation to protect future residents from noise from surrounding businesses, including some on North Parade.

The planning application had said the work to restore the shop could be funded by the Bradford Townscape Heritage Scheme – another National Lottery funded project that allows owners of heritage buildings in the city centre to apply for financial support to restore the buildings to their original frontages.