CHANGE of ownership could herald a new dawn for Keighley’s long-delayed Worth Valley Shopping Centre.

Bradford Council this week revealed Leeds-based developers Stainsby Grange will no longer be leading the £30 million project.

The council said it is “actively working” with a new potential developer to create a shops and leisure scheme on the derelict East Parade site.

A spokesman stressed any new project is in the early stages, but emphasised the local authority is determined work will begin as soon as practically possible.

The announcement came after pressure from district councillors Adrian Naylor and Khadim Hussain for information about progress on the much-heralded town centre shopping centre.

They were among local politicians concerned about delays in construction work beginning, despite planning permission being granted in 2012 for 14 shop units, a nine-screen cinema and 350 parking spaces.

A council spokesman said: "An initial meeting with Bradford Council took place on Monday to explore the interest.

“The council will be actively working with a new potential developer on a commercially confidential basis and we are hopeful a new scheme can be brought forward.

“The council has a record of delivery and we are determined a development will go ahead on this site as soon as practicably possible. There are possibilities for a retail/leisure scheme. However, there are no hard and fast details at the moment."

Stainsby Grange, with a track record of developing shopping centres elsewhere in the UK, had first unveiled its scheme in 2011 after spending several years buying up existing properties on the five-acre site. They cleared the land in 2013 ready for construction work, and continued the painfully difficult process of signing-up major companies needed for the flagship store units.

News of a new developer was this week welcomed by Cllr Adrian Naylor, a former Bradford regeneration chairman.

He said: “Keighley deserves a new shopping centre and I’m hopeful the new party, whoever it is, will move forward quickly.

“What I don’t want to see is another seven years go by until someone starts building work.”

Cllr Khadim Hussain, whose Keighley Central ward includes the shopping centre site, greeted the interest from a new developer as positive news.

He added: “This is a prime site in the town centre that has been flattened. A lot of money has been spent on it already.

“The council is doing its level best to facilitate the new development. It’s essential for the future of Keighley.”

The news was also welcomed by Steve Seymour in his dual roles as Airedale Shopping Centre manager and Keighley Town Centre Association chairman.

He said: “I’d be pleased to see the project progress because it presents a new asset to Keighley. As an association, we want new businesses in the town.

“Sometimes, an initial developer isn’t the one who completes the work on a shopping centre. It often takes a partnership to take it from multiple ownership to single ownership, then to completion.”

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