The demolition of Victorian and Edwardian buildings at St Luke’s Hospital has been condemned by a city centre mission priest.

The Reverend Chris Howson said he was disgusted to see the former doctors’ residence, built in 1870, being pulled down this week without “care or concern for the people of Bradford and their history”.

Mr Howson said: “I have spoken to people in the Little Horton Green conservation area, which I thought St Luke’s was part of, and no-one had any idea this was going to happen – there has been no notification at all.

“I am so outraged it has happened so quickly. To just knock down Edwardian buildings shows a complete disregard for Bradford’s heritage.”

Diggers moved on to the site in Little Horton Lane earlier this week to demolish the doctors’ residence. Also being demolished before Christmas is A block, built in 1904, and M block, which was built in the 1940s and had most recently been used as a filming location for TV series The Royal.

A spokesman for Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which manages St Luke’s, said: “The vacated buildings at St Luke’s had been unused for a number of years. This was due to a change in the trends of healthcare, such as doctors’ accommodation no longer being required on site and the maternity department being centralised in Bradford Royal Infirmary.

“The buildings had been considered for alternative healthcare uses but unfortunately no suitable use was found. Following this they were then used for TV filming purposes.”

She said the trust looked into alternative non-healthcare uses and residential development but the downturn in the property market had made this less viable and they are looking into the option of a temporary car park.

“During the time waiting for planning permission the buildings suffered from vandalism.

“With the added problems of asbestos, coupled with both wet and dry rot, the buildings became dangerous with the only safe option left open to us being demolition. It must be stressed that the Foundation Trust is not demolishing any of the listed buildings on the St Luke’s site.”