Plans to revamp Bingley's Myrtle Walk shopping centre in an £11 million project have been thrown into doubt by a rival bid.
Donaldson's, who own the site, plan to partially demolish it and rebuild it, increasing the size and adding a 622-space car park. Safeway, who currently occupy part of the complex, would be rehoused in a new building on the site.
But now a rival bid has been lodged by Thornfield Properties Plc who want to buy the Myrtle Walk complex, spend £2 million revamping it and move Safeway to the old auction mart site in Keighley Road on the outskirts of Bingley.
Thornfield claim the Donaldson's plans are unrealistic.
And Safeway have offered support for the Thornfield plan, saying they are unhappy with Donaldson's plans. Andrew Sanderson, Thornfield's group development director, said the Donaldson's plans were a non-starter because Safeway effectively held a veto over what happened at the site well into the next century and were not interested in Donaldson's plans.
The alternative plans would include a two-storey building in which Argos and Peacocks could be housed and a foodstore replacing the current Safeways store and housing Iceland. A McDonalds restaurant is also envisaged with the number of car parking spaces would remaining the same.
No one from Donaldsons was available for comment.
But Shipley MP Chris Leslie and chairman of the Bingley Town Centre Partnership said: "I am going to be looking very closely at the detail of these proposals. I shall be keeping a very close eye on what is going on in the Bingley area."
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