Starbucks Drive-Thru, shops and 65 flats plan for city site

An application to build a six-storey building of 65 flats and two shops and a drive thru café on land off Thornton Road has been submitted to Bradford Council.

The flats would be built on the former Globus Textile site off Listerhills Road, with the drive thru – revealed as a Starbucks in the application, on a large former gas works site opposite, on Thornton Road.

The plans relate to a site that has had a significant planning history.

The former Globus Textile site (Image: newsquest)

Last year plans to build around 300 flats on three sites – the Globus site, the larger Thornton Road site and a triangular piece of land between the two sites, was approved by Councillors.

The bulk of the flats would be built on the Thornton Road plot – along with a filling station and drive-thru.

But a separate application for that Thornton Road site was approved later in the year. This would see a new energy plant built on the site – part of a scheme to develop a district heat network in the city centre.

Because a large chunk of the site is now earmarked for the energy plans, the applicants behind the housing scheme - Mi7 Projects Ltd – have resubmitted plans for a scaled down residential development.

The site where the new Starbucks Drive Thru would be built (Image: newsquest)

The application says the Starbucks would open for 24 hours, while the residential scheme would be made up of 65 one bed apartments with a rooftop garden terrace.

1618 Architecture (Image: 1618 Architects)

The application delves into the problems facing residential developments in the city centre – saying low property values meant many large residential schemes were not viable.

It says even with grant funding, the residential scheme will need the income from the Starbucks development to make the project viable.

Referring to the full development of 300 flats that already has approval, the application says: “It has transpired that a residential development on this site is not viable because the level of grant aid that would be needed far exceeds that which would be forthcoming.”

And referring to the smaller scheme that makes up the new application, it adds: “For any residential units to be delivered, support by grant aid is essential. “The applicant, with support from the Council’s Regeneration team, has made a bid to West Yorkshire Combined Authority, the West Yorkshire body that administers the Brownfield Housing Fund grant scheme.

“These residential proposals have been provisionally accepted for grant aid consideration.

“The commercial elements will also assist in the cost of the further remediation that is required for the former gas works site.”

A decision on the application is expected in April.