Plans to turn Victorian warehouse in Bradford conservation area into 33 apartments

34-36 Canal Road is a former warehouse building that dates back to Bradford’s prosperous Victorian period.

But today it is a sorry state – with a huge amount of vegetation growing out of the building.

Numerous planning applications to regenerate the building by converting it into flats have been approved in recent years – but no work on any of these schemes has ever started.

Last year the building was put up for sale with an asking price of £495,000.

Now the latest WATS Developers Ltd has submitted a planning application to Bradford Council.

The existing permission for the building is to turn the warehouse into 33 apartments.

And the new application includes the creation of another two storeys to the building, made up of a further 10 duplex penthouse apartments.

The application says: “There is evidence of water ingress which over time has affected a large proportion of timbers in different forms of rot.

“In addition, the basement has had considerable water egress and this has caused significant decay throughout the whole building.

“The proposed plans are based on total internal phased demolition of all floors and steel- work as required due to long and extensive rot whilst retaining the external shell of the building.

“This process is complicated and would have to be undertaken by an experienced and specialised contractor but would ensure the existing external shell is retained.

“The proposal requires additional floors to be added at roof level to help make the scheme commercially viable.

“The apartments within the new build elements of the project create a striking junction between modern and historic which will take on a different look and feel internally.”

The building is in Bradford’s Cathedral Precinct Conservation Area, but the application says the new roof of the building will not harm the area’s heritage. It adds: “The new building intervention will compliment the existing buildings in tone while adding a contemporary ‘beacon’ building to the area.

“The new development has been designed so as to stand its ground as a contemporary building, without being so elaborate as to overshadow the existing Victorian buildings.”

A decision on the application is expected before the end of the year.