Keighley Bus Museum is set to open to the public alongside the planned new £23 million Keighley College.

Museum officials are in talks with college bosses and Bradford Council about moving to new premises. A purpose-built museum forms part of ambitious plans to redevelop the whole of the Dalton Lane area, the Keighley News can reveal.

A bus museum spokesman this week confirmed discussions were taking place with Keighley College management.

The museum currently rents space in the old Dalton Lane building to store 28 of its 50-plus vehicles. The hope is for a permanent home in a central location that can be opened regularly to the public.

At present the volunteer-run Bus Museum Trust can only display its vehicles to the public on rare open days or special trips.

David Kennedy, Bradford Council's regeneration chief, this week confirmed talks were taking place with the bus museum.

He said: "We have always been supportive of the bus museum. We would hope to have the museum eventually established on that site.

"The college has had various meetings with the various interested parties. It's very much a college-led thing."

But the regeneration package -- in its early stages -- could see several established businesses being forced to find a new home.

If financial deals cannot be struck with the firms then Bradford Council may have to apply for compulsory purchase orders.

Keighley College stresses its own building plans are confined to the site it owns near the junction with Bradford Road.

The college's former Dalton Lane annex would be transformed into a five-storey campus offering both traditional and high-tech courses. As well as housing all 14,000 students, it would have shops, leisure and conference facilities, a management suite and large car park.

Chris Moore, the college's vice-chairman, yesterday said: "The college building will only be on the college-owned land."

The potential effects of Dalton Lane regeneration on surrounding firms were revealed to the Keighley News this week.

Mick Milner, works director at nearby Leach and Thompson, said he had seen plans showing redevelopment stretching to Brewery Street.

The extended area would take in at least six small firms based in and around Eagle Mills.

Mr Milner said: "The people who have to be moved will need some assistance. There would have to be compensation."

Bradford councillor Andrew Mallinson, whose ward includes Dalton Lane, said any firms subject to compulsory purchase would need money to relocate.

He said: "We've got to move forward. We've got a golden opportunity to redevelop Dalton Lane. We could be talking a multi-million pound package."

Peter Burrell, director of Acetarc, one of the firms potentially affected, said he would be open to relocating so long as there was suitable accommodation elsewhere in Keighley.

He said: "If it could be done it would improve the area greatly. Dalton Lane is looking quite sad really."

Two years ago most of the firms were approached by a developer hoping to build a supermarket in Dalton Lane.

Although the plans came to nothing, most of the firms are understood to have agreed in principle to move.

Museum open day see page 3