Derelict building to become health centre

Kingfisher House has been left derelict after several unsuccessful plans to revive it

A new health facility can be built on a derelict site in Bradford city centre after being given the go-ahead.

The shell of the old Kingfisher House on Filey Street will be converted into a new orthopaedic care centre after a planning application was approved by Bradford Council this week.

Standard Health Group, the organisation behind the plans, said the work would be a "transformative step in addressing the demand for enhanced medical facilities" in the city.

The building, just off Wakefield Road, was previously used as offices for the Royal Bank of Scotland.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, it had since been stripped out in preparation for a number of developments which never materialised, including a hotel, a gym, a spa, a café and a "curry college" where the next generation of chefs would have learned their trade.

Planning officers approved the health centre plans, saying the site, which had stood as an empty shell for years, was currently "in a state of significant disrepair" and was badly in need of a major redevelopment.

Standard Health said what would be known as the Kingfisher Orthopaedic Centre would include an operating theatre, diagnostic suite, physiotherapy space and in-patient recovery facilities – including rooms for patients to recover overnight.

There would be 30 parking spaces, EV charging spaces and space to park 12 bicycles, while all trees on the site would be retained, planning documents stated.

Approving the development, planning officers said: "Given the existing building, in its current state, detracts from the visual amenity of the area, by contrast, the proposed development would represent a marked improvement."

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