Idle mill could be replaced by retirement apartments

Ashfield Mills on Leeds Road, Idle, is the subject of a new planning application by Anchor Housing that has just been submitted to Bradford Council.

The plans say the development would bring “much needed affordable housing options” to the area.

As well as the apartment building and six homes, the application includes communal facilities, landscaped open space and 49 parking spaces.

The prominent mill complex is made up of a former ambulance station and the 19th Century mill building, which is currently home to a number of light industrial businesses.

Anchor is the country's largest registered provider of affordable older persons accommodation, and one of its main offices in on Godwin Street in Bradford city centre.

An artist's impression of the planned development (Image: Anchor Housing)

The application for the Idle site says these businesses currently based at the mill are “vacating the site due to re-location within the region.”

The 75 flats will be a mix of one and two bed apartments and will be for people over the age of 55.

The application points out that the site has been earmarked for housing in Bradford Council’s draft Local Plan – which says the mill site could be used to deliver up to 35 homes.

A planning application for such a development was approved in 2017, but never implemented.

Anchor’s application adds: “By extending accommodation provision in the area to meet current and future demand and providing family and older-persons’ accommodation the scheme demonstrates how it will benefit the community by allowing elderly residents to stay local as their housing needs change with age.

“The development also maximises the potential of a brownfield site with numerous constraints and complications.

“Through the provision of improved street frontages to the public realm and providing a building that is inspired by its context yet manages to stand out amongst its neighbours’ offering a largely contextual intervention on the site.

“Perhaps most importantly, the scheme will provide 81 much-needed, good quality and affordable housing options within a forward-thinking development with sustainability at its core.

“These will represent a welcome addition to Bradford Council’s housing targets for the locality and the region as a whole.

“The site is located within walking distance of local amenities and services. Idle Local Centre is located approximately 550m to the southwest, which includes a range of services including a supermarket, medical centre and pharmacy alongside a number of restaurants and cafes.”

A decision on the application is expected in February.