Council to take over land held by mystery owner

Bradford Council said it has not been able to trace the owner of the site on Wealdheare Street in the Bolton Woods area

Houses will be built on a piece of land described by the council as an "eyesore".

Councillors in Bradford approved plans to use legal powers to secure the site at a meeting earlier.

The owner of the land at Wealdheare Street in the Bolton Woods area could not be traced, a council spokesperson said.

Councillor Alex Ross-Shaw said the plot had "been a blight on nearby houses for years".

The land was at risk of remaining "unused and unproductive" if a compulsory purchase order was not approved, a council spokesperson said.

Under the plans it will be developed as part of a wider regeneration scheme.

Hanaa Obeid, 42, lives opposite the plot and said: "I think it's a good idea, because in this area there are not too many buildings."

She said people had thrown rubbish on the land and it looked "ugly".

The new housing would be included in the New Bolton Woods regeneration project.

The scheme includes plans for 1,000 homes alongside a new Aldi and a Costa Coffee drive-thru.

'Worthwhile use'

Also living directly opposite the land is Miroslav Hajas.

He said children played on the plot and added: "I think it's quite dangerous because nobody cares about this piece of land."

Mr Hajas, 45, said green space would be "one thousand times" better than houses but that he would be happy to see the land brought back into use.

Ross-Shaw, the council's executive member for regeneration, planning and transport, said: "As a local councillor for the area I know this site has been a blight on nearby houses for years.

"Despite our best efforts an owner cannot be identified, so using a compulsory purchase order could bring the site into worthwhile use, create new homes and remove an eyesore for local residents."

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