Ten years on from the devastating fire which destroyed historic Yorkshire cinema

In January 2013 dozens of firefighters were called to the former Glenroyal Cinema on Briggate, which had become engulfed in flames. Despite their best efforts, the listed building was beyond saving, and was pulled down days later. Since then the site, on one of the busiest junctions in the District and next to the Leeds Liverpool Canal, has remained vacant.

The Art Deco Glenroyal Cinema was built in 1932. It closed as a cinema in the 1960s, and was converted into a bingo hall. This was the use the cinema had for the majority of its life span – only closing as a bingo hall in 2008.

The building was already is a dilapidated state before the fire, but the blaze was the writing on the wall for this piece of the town’s history. With a decade having passed since the building’s demolition, Bradford Council has been asked whether there were any plans for the site in the town’s regeneration.

The council said the site was not included in any plans for Shipley’s £25m Towns Fund – which will involve numerous regeneration and community schemes being developed.

A council spokesperson added: “We are not aware of any current plans for this site.”

When asked what the town’s councillors would like to see done with the site, Shipley councillor Kevin Warnes said: “We would love to see the site developed in a way that makes a positive contribution to life in Shipley, preferably as affordable residential accommodation in order to ease local housing pressures. The site is also ideally located close to the town centre and nearby public transport links.

“We are always happy to work with council colleagues in the department of place to help make this happen and look forward to seeing any proposals to sort this site out once and for all. It should not take this long to bring derelict spaces like this back into use, especially when so many young people in particular are struggling to find somewhere to live independently.”

The only proposal for the land since the cinema was demolished was a planning application to level the site to create a new 45 space car park. That application, by real estate company H&Q Shipley Ltd, would have also seen the neighbouring nightclub demolished.

That plan was refused by Bradford Council, with planning officers saying a car park that size on a busy junction would be “hazardous” to both road users and pedestrians.