AN HISTORIC Burley-in-Wharfedale mill is at the centre of 'exciting' plans to develop 89 new homes and leisure facilities.

Bradford-based A Hillas Properties Ltd has applied for planning permission to convert Greenholme Mills, in Iron Row, near the River Wharfe, into houses, building 23 more homes in the grounds.

The development would see the a mix of one, two, three and four-bedroom houses created on the mill site, which dates back to the 19th Century. The development would also be put to 'commercial uses', including a creche, spa/gym and a restaurant as part of the scheme.

The landmark building was once a booming textiles mill powered by water fed through a goit from the River Wharfe. It was expanded by celebrated industrialists William Fison and William Edward Forster, eventually employing hundreds of people in its heyday.

The site is currently being used for a variety of commercial purposes, but the applicant says it is underused and unsustainable in its existing form.

Although the original mill development dates back to the 1800s, with earlier industrial use on the site, it is no longer said to have any formal protected heritage status.

A design and access statement accompanying the plan said: "The existing use of the mill and its curtilage is considered unsustainable in terms of a viable use, and its appropriate redevelopment will be reuse of a valuable resource, important to the heritage of the area, and Burley in particular."

Discussions have been going on between the developer, Bradford Council and parish councillors for more than a year.

A pre-application enquiry was submitted to Bradford Council in May. The local authority agreed in June that the proposal appeared in principle to form the basis of an acceptable application.

Plans are now open for public consultation, and the application is expected to be determined by Bradford Council's regulatory and appeals committee. Two of the Wharfedale ward's three councillors – Jackie Whiteley and Gerry Barker – are members of the committee.

The third Wharfedale ward councillor, Dale Smith (Con, Wharfedale), promised to look hard at the plans.

He said: "It's a development that has been coming for a number of years – it's no surprise.

"I shall study the proposals with great interest to see they meet the criteria for a development suitable for the area. In a sense, it's quite exciting that area of the village will benefit from development, provided it's in keeping."

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