Plans approved for new five storey hotel in Bradford city centre
The building will be constructed on the former site of the Laconia Buildings
A NEW five-storey, 104 bed hotel can be built in a Conservation Area in Bradford City Centre, planners have decided.
The building will be constructed on the former site of the Laconia Buildings – a large warehouse on Sunbridge Road that was demolished in 2020 for safety reasons.
The site lies within the Goitside Conservation Area – one of the oldest areas of Bradford.
Plans to build a new hotel on the site were first revealed by Cambridge Road Real Estates Ltd last Summer.
It would be an aparthotel – with some cooking facilities in the rooms, and would include a ground floor restaurant and bar.
The company said the hotel would be a “major investment” in the city centre, and was targeted at contractors working on major developments in Bradford and surrounding areas.
The Laconia Building was a fire storey warehouse that had once been earmarked for 163 flats.
But that residential conversion never took place, and the vacant building gradually fell into dereliction.
In 2020 the building was badly damaged during Storm Ciara. Structural engineers found the warehouse to be unsafe, and it was demolished.
The site has been vacant and fenced off ever since.
The application said the hotel would be five storeys tall from Sunbridge Road. The site slopes down, and so would be seven storeys tall when viewed from Water Lane.
Those two extra storeys would be used for car parking, with 66 spaces.
Access to the car park would be via two streets either side of the site – Paradise Street and Wigan Street.
Both these roads will be improved under the works, with both roads being widened and a new footway created.
The application said: “The proposed aparthotel represents a major investment in Bradford city centre.
“The hotel has been designed to allow for guests such as building contractors to stay for a couple of weeks and to be able to cater for themselves.
“This has been identified by our client as a key demographic with high demand.
“It is anticipated on a weekend these rooms will then be let to leisure travellers who are wanting to get a taste of Bradford’s cultural offerings.”
Approving the plans on Friday, planning officers said the hotel would be an acceptable addition to the Conservation Area. They added: “The siting of the building, particularly the way it addresses Sunbridge Road, is positive in that the appearance provides a modern but considered response to the character streetscene.
“It recognises the scale of built form in the area and the rhythm applied to buildings typical to the area.
“Overall, it is considered that the proposed structure would make a positive contribution to the conservation area, repairing the damage to the urban form caused by the loss of the previous building.”