New £19 million public sector hub set to get approval for Keighley College site

A public sector and community hub could replace a building in central Keighley, if new council plans are signed off. Bradford Council is proposing to build a new £19 million ‘one-stop shop’ on the site of the old Keighley College building in North Street, and says the idea has attracted interest from four other public sector organisations, which have yet to be named. The existing building, owned by Bradford Council, lies at the junction of North Street and Cavendish Street and has been on the market for over a year but no buyer has been found. Under the plans, the building, which has been vandalised and is in poor repair, would be pulled down. A new hub would be built in its place, allowing a variety of public services to work together under one roof to save costs. It could be up and running by 2018, if all goes to plan. Bradford Council’s Executive is expected to give the go-ahead for the scheme on Tuesday. The council would pay for £3.4 million of the total cost, with the other private sector organisations paying the rest.