After over a decade of lying empty, work can finally begin on huge Keighley town centre site that will soon be home to Aldi and Tim Hortons.
The supermarket has planned to move onto the former Alexandra Mills site on East Parade for years, and its initial plans were approved by Bradford Council early last year.
But when the company decided to tweak their proposals, it needed to re-submit its application for the Council to sign off.
Now those amended plans, which also include a Tim Hortons takeaway and row of new shops on East Parade, have been approved.
The former mill site was originally earmarked for the £30m Worth Valley Shopping Centre, which could have included a cinema and restaurants.
But after years of little to no movement it was announced that Aldi had new plans for the site.
The retailer would move from its Gresley Road site to a larger unit on the Alexandra Mills site. The application submitted to Bradford Council also included another large retail unit, a drive thru café and three smaller shops.
The plans, which also included a large car park and new public space, was approved by Councillors in January 2021.
Over a year passed without work starting and last spring Aldi announced it was submitting a revised plan for the site.
The second large retail unit was dropped from the plan, the Aldi store re-located compared to the original proposals and the smaller shops re-designed as “retail pods” on East Parade.
The plans show that the drive-thru café will be a Tim Horton. The Canadian fast food giant opened its first West Yorkshire branch in Birstall last year.
Planning officers at Bradford Council have now approved these changes – meaning work on the site can finally begin.
The new retail park will include 252 parking spaces, and the Council has included a condition that a number of these need to have EV charging points.
Planning officers said: “The application site has lain vacant for a number of years, following the demolition of the former works at the site.
“The application site is viewed when entering and leaving Keighley town centre.
“The redevelopment of the site would be welcomed in improving the appearance of the site and the perception of this part of the town centre.”
By the time work starts, the land will have been vacant for over 10 years.
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