A £1 million bid to breathe new life into a derelict site is set to bring scores of new jobs to Shipley.

And the plans to develop the vacant site, which once housed a filling station, have been welcomed by councillors who say the scheme would be a major boost to the local economy.

Leeds-based property investment company Maxett Ltd has applied to Bradford Council for permission to build a two-storey office block on land at Otley Road's junction with View Croft Road.

The company says it is in negotiations with two large companies, who have expressed an interest in leasing the building, and believe the offices would create some 80 new jobs.

It says ''no expense would be spared'' on the building which would be air-conditioned and feature a curved glass, brick and natural stone frontage, raised floors and CCTV.

Maxett director David Marshall said: "The site's been a bit of an eyesore for years and on the design side we're trying to create something of which Shipley can be very proud.

"It would be done to a very high standard and would be a building we'd intend keeping in our property portfolio.

"We see Shipley as an up-and-coming area and a nice place to work. It already has several well-known employers such as the Inland Revenue, Pace and Filtronic.''

The development would include 27 car parking spaces but Mr Marshall said a bike and motorcycle park would also be provided for employees, adding: "It's very close to the train station and people would be encouraged to use public transport.''

He said if planning permission was granted it was hoped to start work on the site over the next few weeks and to have the development completed by early 2002.

Councillor John Carroll (Con, Shipley West), chairman of the Shipley Town Centre Development Partnership, said: "The design proposals sound quite exciting and if it did create 80 jobs it would be great news for Shipley. The more people there are working in the town, the more people there will be shopping here and using the other facilities.''

Councillor Tony Miller (Lab, Shipley East) said: "It's a high profile site on one of the main corridors into the town - it's an area we want to see re-generated rather than left as a derelict eyesore which doesn't give a good impression.

"It would enhance the area enormously, perhaps attracting more investment. I'd certainly welcome the jobs it would produce but we'd have to look at how the highways network, particularly Fox Corner, would cope with it.''