Bradford pub set for demolition after 20 years as council approves 48 flats amid biodiversity concerns

A landmark Bradford pub can be demolished and replaced with a new 48-flat apartment building after the council approved the plans.

A planning report granting permission for work to replace the Prospect of Bradford Hotel on Bolton Road with housing was uploaded by Bradford Council in early February.

However, that document was soon removed from the Council’s website, with planners saying the approval document had been “uploaded too early”.

Six months later, the application has now officially been approved, with a host of conditions.

Many in Bradford had fond memories of the once popular pub – which overlooks much of the city – but the Prospect has stood empty for two decades.

Previous plans to convert the building into flats have never come to fruition.

Last year, The Funding Globe Ltd applied for permission to demolish the building, replacing it with a modern apartment building with a mix of one, two and three-bed flats.

It described the development as a “modern and welcoming residential environment that helps to achieve the requirements for the UKs housing demands”.

It added: “The design seeks to address constraints that this site presents, and proposes to bring a unique residential development and much needed investment to a derelict site.”

An undercroft parking area would have 37 parking spaces for future residents, and there would be communal garden spaces on the site, with some flats also having private garden terraces.

Around the same time the approval was uploaded prematurely in February, biodiversity officers at the Council raised concerns about the scheme.

They raised concerns that the plans did not include any detail on how the development will increase biodiversity – a new requirement for developments in Bradford.

It also pointed out that the site is a short distance from the Boars Well Urban Wildlife Reserve – a popular spot for birds and butterflies.

It added: “Developments in such close proximity should provide landscaping and biodiversity enhancements which ameliorate the designation. These proposals do not do this and will result in a weakening of the habitats.”

Since then there have been changes to the plan – a biodiversity scheme has been proposed, and new trees and hedgerows will now be planted at a section of the site closest to Boars Well.

The plans have now been approved by Bradford Council.

Another condition of the development is for the parking area to include at least 10 EV charging points.