A team of experts has been recruited to help breathe new life into Bradford's historic Goitside.

A business partnership has brought in top national conservationists to draw up a master plan for the area, which includes the Yorkshire Co-operatives' Sunwin House where a multi-million pound development is planned.

But at the other end of the scale, old industrial buildings stand empty and are falling derelict.

Goitside starts at the Tetley Street and Grattan Road area and takes in the Colour Museum and mill buildings, such as the former headquarters of Bussey-Hewitt. The area also includes houses off Chain Street and shops, pubs and offices up Thornton Road.

It is within the Manningham and Girlington Single Regeneration Budget area, where millions of pounds of Government money will be spent on the deprived streets.

Now the Leeds office of Webb-Seeger Moorhouse will put together a plan aimed at improving the area's bad parts and making best use of the good ones.

It comes as Bradford Council chooses another firm to produce a plan for the rest of the city. Partnership chairman Jonathan Wright of Last Cawthra Feather solicitors said they envisaged a mixed use for the Goitside conservation area, possibly with housing and an urban village

He said: "It wouldn't challenge the central area of the city but would complement it."

People involved in it would work closely with neighbouring regeneration schemes and the company appointed to plan for the city centre, he added.

Andrew Brown, an associate of Webb-Seeger Moorhouse said: "Clearly the area has problems but there are also major opportunities."

He said housing would be a main part of the plan and Goitside's historic past would be prominent.

He said the success of Yorkshire Co-operative Ltd and its plans for a £20 million development on land around Sunwin House was encouraging.

The company proposes to put 70 apartments, student flats, bars, restaurants, a night club, hotel and supermarket on the site. There would also be a 250-space multi-storey car park.

The firm expects the plan will take four months to produce.