Plans for new medical centre on derelict site in Bradford city centre
Standard Health Group, which provides orthopaedic NHS care, plans to open the new facility on Filey Street, just off Shipley Airedale Road.
A DERELICT shell of a Bradford city centre building could become a state-of-the-art health centre if new plans are approved.
Standard Health Group, which provides orthopaedic NHS care, plans to open the new facility on Filey Street, just off Shipley Airedale Road.
It will be called the Kingfisher Orthopedic Centre, and the company says it will be a “transformative step in addressing the demand for enhanced medical facilities” in Bradford.
The building, Kingfisher House was once offices for the Royal Bank of Scotland.
But in recent years had been stripped down to make way for a number of developments that have failed to materialise, including a proposed “curry college” that would train a new generation of chefs.
Orthopedics is the branch of medicine that specialises in the skeleton and muscles, and the new facility would include an operating theatre, diagnostic suite, physiotherapy space and inpatient recovery facilities – including rooms for patients to recover overnight.
There would be 43 parking spaces and 12 cycle parking spaces.
A planning application submitted by the health group to Bradford Council this week highlights the building’s strategic location in the “Southern Gateway” area of Bradford – a section of the city earmarked for regeneration in the coming years.
It would add to the regeneration of this often neglected area – the plans claim.
The application also points out that the site is a short distance from a planned new rail station in Bradford, which had been earmarked for the St James Market site on Wakefield Road, and will be close to stops on the proposed Bradford to Leeds tram line.
The centre will be based in Jinnah Business Park, a recent development of business units on the edge of the city centre.
There have been numerous proposals for the business in recent years, some of which have failed to materialise.
In 2017 an application to convert the building into a “world food centre of excellence” were approved.
The centre would have included a restaurant, banqueting facilities and a training centre for the next generation of international food chefs, which would train between 50 and 100 people a year.
Plans for an annex of business units opposite the old office block were approved in 2019, and is now complete. A further development of seven business units on the same site has been approved but yet to be built.
By 2022 the food centre of excellence plan for the office building had morphed into plans for a new health and wellbeing centre including a spa, gym and café, as well as space for small businesses.
These plans were also approved, but never built.
The new planning application says: “Standard Health Group, a well established orthopaedic NHS care providers, are offering their services to the residents of Bradford via the new scheme at Filey Street.
“The scheme is a re-design of the existing building at Filey Street, which will be a new state of the art medical facility that will accommodate a new theatre suite, diagnostics, day surgery and supporting facilities.
“The Kingfisher Orthopedic Centre represents a transformative step in addressing the demand for enhanced medical facilities. The centre is dedicated to delivering exceptional healthcare services.”
On the location of the development, the application says: “The Southern Gateway will be part of a wider regeneration programme led by the new transport infrastructure connecting Bradford to major cities via a new Train Station and Mass Transit Routes to Leeds.
“A new Bradford City Centre Station is proposed at St James Hub connecting the Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR).
“The new area will connect outer areas of Bradford through rail, cycling, well designed transport routes and green urban spaces. The proposed site falls within this area and consequently contribute to this regeneration programme.”
The plans highlight the importance of bringing a long derelict city centre building back into use.
“The current condition of the structure is sound but with the need to be redesigned and brought back to life.
“Much of the brick external leaf has been removed leaving the core structure and concrete flooring exposed.
“Regeneration of this building is much needed with the site in close proximation to the City Centre of Bradford.”
The Local Democracy Reporting Service has contacted Standard Health Group for more detail on how much is being invested in the site, and how many jobs it will create, but has yet to receive a response.
A decision on the application is expected in February.