A WATER treatment works in Bronte Country could soon undergo a major upgrade by its owners, Yorkshire Water.

The Oldfield Water Treatment Plant lies off Harehills Lane in the hamlet of Oldfield, just North of Stanbury.

Yorkshire Water has now revealed that it plans major changes for the site, including the complete rebuild of the facility and the demolition of the old buildings.

The company says it will “increase resilience in our water network around Keighley.”

Yorkshire Water had submitted detail of the plans to Bradford Council to see if the development required an Environmental Impact Assessment alongside any future planning application for the site.

The application says the work will be in three phases;

Phase 1: Improvements to existing access off Harehills Lane, construction of new internal access roads and installation of a Surface Water Management Scheme.

Phase 2 : Construction of a new Water Treatment building, Washwater Recovery system, Run to Waste Facility with associated kiosks, tanks, plant and machinery.

Phase 3: Demolition of existing Water Treatment Buildings

Bradford Council has responded to Yorkshire Water to say that due to the existing use of the site, and Environmental Impact Assessment would not be needed.

A Yorkshire Water Spokesperson said the proposals were in the early stages, but added: “We’re currently exploring options for increasing resilience in our water network around Keighley.

“Rebuilding and upgrading Oldfield treatment works is one option we are looking at, and the environmental impact assessment recently approved by Bradford Council is part of that scoping work.

“If the project proceeds further, we will be working with local residents and stakeholders in order to understand views and reduce disruption of the work.”