And a local councillor has said while work on the site is welcomed, “no-one in Holme Wood wanted to see the health centre go.”
The Holme Wood Health Centre has been vacant since the NHS shut the facility, and is currently one of several derelict buildings in the estate.
NHS Property Services has submitted proposals to convert the site on Holme Wood Road into nine flats.
What is ‘planning in principle’?
The application seeks “planning in principle” for the development.
This is a new type of planning permission introduced by the Labour Government to speed up housing development.
Developers can seek this permission without providing house designs or other details normally required to gain planning permission.
Once planning in principle is achieved, the developer will have to submit full details as part of a later application.
The former Holme Wood Health Centre (Image: T&A)
What does the application say?
The application says: “NHS Property Services manages, maintains, and improves NHS properties and facilities, working in partnership with NHS organisations to create safe, efficient, sustainable, and modern healthcare environments.
“NHSPS has a clear mandate to provide a quality service to its tenants and minimise the cost of the NHS estate to those organisations using it. Upon the sale of a surplus site, any proceeds raised are reinvested back into the NHS.
“The site has previously been in use as a health clinic. The building is now vacant, and has been declared as surplus to the operational healthcare requirements of the NHS.
“The application proposes permission in principle for the conversion of the existing building to provide up to nine residential dwellings.
“The site has sufficient space to deliver a high quality housing development, alongside shared amenity space.
“The site is in a sustainable location, within an established residential area within the urban area of Bradford.
“It is within walking distance of local services, infrastructure and public transport links the site to additional facilities within Bradford city centre.”
14 parking spaces would be created on the site.
‘No one in Holme Wood ever wanted to see this go’
Councillor Ursula Sutcliffe (Green, Tong), said: “Although quality affordable housing is in much need, no one in Holme Wood ever wanted to see this go.
“All our essential services have been moved to the outskirts of Holme Wood making our less fortunate and vulnerable residents having to travel further for such things as medicine, groceries and goods.”
A decision on the application is expected next month.