SWSS Fintech Ltd plans to make a “significant investment” in a currently vacant car park site off Sunbridge Road.
As well as a ground floor “innovation hub” that will focus on AI and blockchain research, the apartments will all have high-tech features such as AI building management systems and “robotic concierge services.”
Delivery drones on artist impression
An artist’s impression of the planned development shows delivery drones hovering around the building.
Bradford Council bosses have welcomed the planned investment, and pointed out that the scheme is a short distance from part of the planned “City Village” development of 1,000 homes.
The proposed development will re-purpose a previously approved planning application to develop flats on a car park on Vaughan Street, between Sunbridge Road and Rebecca Street.
The car park on Vaughan Street (Image: Mike Simmonds)
Planning history of the site
In March 2020, plans to build a seven storey building with 72 apartments on the site was approved by Bradford Council.
The applicant behind that scheme, Rashid Moghul, said the development would bring vitality to an area of the city the plans referred to as a “zone of repair.”
It would be built in the car park of the former Joseph Brennan House, an NHS office building that has been converted into flats and hotel accommodation.
Other than some groundworks on the site, the development never progressed.
London-based company to submit plans
But now London-based SWSS Fintech, which specialises in AI, have revealed plans to revive the plans, but with some major changes.
It will now be re-purposed as SWSS Fintech AI Tower, a £9 million smart residential and technology development.
Instead of a fully residential scheme, the building will house a ground floor “innovation hub focused on AI and blockchain research.”
The building has also undergone a more modern re-design thanks to Bradford based 363 Architecture.
An application to amend the existing planning approval is expected to be submitted by the company in the near future.
‘Advanced technology infrastructure with modern residential living’
Earl Owen, director of SWSS Fintech, said: “The proposed development aims to integrate advanced technology infrastructure with modern residential living, including artificial intelligence building management systems, renewable energy infrastructure, robotic concierge services and a ground-floor innovation hub focused on AI and blockchain research.
“The project is expected to support Bradford’s regeneration ambitions by creating employment opportunities during construction and operation, while also providing a potential platform for technology research collaboration and student internships.”
Site is near City Village
Representatives of SWSS Fintech met with bosses at Bradford Council to discuss the proposal last month.
After the meeting, Councillor Alex Ross-Shaw, Portfolio Holder for Regeneration, Planning and Transport on Bradford Council, said: “It was great to meet SWSS Fintech to discuss their ambitions for Bradford and hear about the significant investment they’re planning into the city.
“Their investment is planned near the boundary of our City Village area so it’s great to see how our visions align.
“As with any investment, there will be a need for planning approvals to be secured and our teams are ready to discuss this further with them in due course.”
City Village plans
The City Village development is a major regeneration scheme that will see 1,000 homes, business units and green spaces built on several areas of the city centre, including the sites of the soon to be demolished Kirkgate Shopping Centre and Oastler Market.
The scheme will be mostly funded through investment from national groups like Homes England.
The first phase of the City Village development will see 33 townhouses built on a number of Council owned car parks in and around the Chain Street area, off Westgate and a short distance from the planned AI tower development.
As previously reported in the Telegraph & Argus, Bradford Council hopes the residential development leads to a “ripple effect” that will lead to the owners of surrounding land and nearby empty buildings having the confidence to invest in their property.
The Vaughan Street site of the proposed AI tower is a short distance from another major development – the new Sunbridge Road Mission.
Work on the multi-million-pound church building, which is based on a previously vacant site between Sunbridge Road and Thornton Road, is due to be completed later this year.