BRADFORD College has been granted permission to demolish a city centre mill to make way for a £17m new building.

The Junction Mills building on Thornton Road was once part of the College’s estate of teaching buildings, but it has been empty for several years.

Last year, plans to flatten the building and replace it with a £17m Future Technologies Centre were revealed, and plans for a modern new building on the site revealed.

Although the application for that new building has not yet been decided by Bradford Council, the authority this week granted permission to flatten the existing mill building, which lies within the city’s Goitside Conservation Area.

A recent release by the College said work on the site is expected to begin this Spring, and the new building due to be completed in the 2025/26 academic year.

Referring to the demolition of the existing building, Bradford Council’s Conservation Officer Jon Ackroyd said: “The demolition of this unexceptional building would not cause significant harm to the setting of the Conservation Area.

“The building is recognised as a non-designated heritage asset, given its history and phased evolution.

“However, the current building is concluded as having limited architectural merit, has been heavily altered and is in poor condition.”