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Hotel and cinema among Keighley college site ideas


Ideas for future uses for the Keighley College site have been unveiled.

A hotel, cinema and offices are among suggestions showcased at a public exhibition.

Local people are being asked their views on three options for the twin sites on North Street and Cavendish Street.

The existing buildings are currently home to the Keighley campus of Leeds City College, formerly Park Lane College Keighley.

The college will vacate the buildings in the summer of next year and move to a new £35 million campus next to Keighley Railway Station.

Option 1 is a partial conversion, retaining some of the old Mechanics’ Institute but adding new offices, a 60-room hotel, retail space and a 38-space car park.

Option 2 is a part conversion with a new 52-room hotel, keeping the former Mechanics’ Institute art block for conference/exhibition and gallery space and an 18-space car park.

Option 3 is a whole new-build including office space, specialist retail, new build cinema/conference/exhibition and gallery space, a 60-room hotel, covered parking for 150 vehicles and a shopping arcade over the parking area.

The three options are being exhibited in the Airedale Shopping Centre from today until Saturday and for the next few days on the websites — keighleynews.co.uk and airedalepartnership.org. People can comment on the plans.

Responses will be collated, then the options will be developed further.

The exhibition has been organised by regeneration agency the Airedale Partnership and consultants Building Design Partnership (BDP).

The Airedale Partnership will work with consultants to prepare a development strategy once the site becomes vacant in 2010.

Cllr Adrian Naylor, Bradford Council’s executive member for regeneration, said the future of the site could be a huge asset to Keighley town centre.

He said: “It is vital that local people get to have their say. Anyone has a chance to view the plans in the Airedale Centre and submit their views.”

Francis Glare, director at BDP, said: “This is a great site at the heart of Keighley. We want to ensure that whatever replaces the college on this site adds to the vibrancy and attractiveness of the town centre.”

For more information on the options, contact Kulbir Sandhu on 01535 618095 or at the Airedale Partnership Office, 68b North Street, Keighley BD21 3RY.


Your Say YourKeighley

JWilcock, Haworth says...
3:38pm Wed 10 Jun 09

Whats the point in the council approving a new cinema, all that would do is is leave the current cinema derelict 20 yds down the road!

Judith Brooksbank, Thwaites Brow says...
4:15pm Wed 10 Jun 09

I entirely agree. Keighley has a cinema a few yards away. Dreadful idea to make it into a new cinema. I'd rather it were a college!

wizard52, keighley says...
6:50pm Wed 10 Jun 09

Why not turn the site into a soup kitchen and a hotel for all those who have had their houses repossessed in Keighley. A proper drug rehabilitation centre with full medical and pharmacy facilities.
Then we’ll need a centre for illegal immigrants, a job centre for the mentally insane who can’t get treatment after being discharged from prison.
A church, mosque, and a gambling club.
Last but not least, a New Labour party headquarters, with full expenses ameanities!

Kevin Costner, Crossroads says...
8:26pm Wed 10 Jun 09

wizard52 wrote:
Why not turn the site into a soup kitchen and a hotel for all those who have had their houses repossessed in Keighley. A proper drug rehabilitation centre with full medical and pharmacy facilities. Then we’ll need a centre for illegal immigrants, a job centre for the mentally insane who can’t get treatment after being discharged from prison. A church, mosque, and a gambling club. Last but not least, a New Labour party headquarters, with full expenses ameanities!
I can see your point with your post Wizard except the last part. Labour I am afraid are playing out their final days here in Keighley. Ann Cryer will be leaving with an amount one off payment of around 300 thousand pounds I am led to believe and a pension of around 1100 pounds per week for life. Not bad for a bored housewife is it. I think the next few years in politics has all of a sudden become a little more interesting.

wizard52, keighley says...
11:17pm Wed 10 Jun 09

Please leave Anne Cryer alone: The lass has done well for herself, and is entitled to everything she’s got from the system. Check her wealth and that of other MPs from the time they entered Parliament to the end of term and I’ll bet you that Ann has held her own. Kevin Costner, if you were in her place……………
.!
Like KTC, there are good ones and bad ones sitting in an expense heaven!

greg mendelson, says...
10:26am Thu 11 Jun 09

Can we please have a Tesco built on the site? Keighley has a very poor selection of enormous supermarkets.

MarkPullen, Haworth says...
5:29pm Thu 11 Jun 09

Whatever is decided I bet it doesn't change its name as frequently as the college has over the recent past.

Exleyhead, Exley Head says...
10:43pm Fri 12 Jun 09

Let's think about this carefully. We already have a struggling cinema. A town full of empty shops.

Why replace the monstrosity from the 1960's with another monstrosity, which will last the same number of years.

Let's build for the future and put in place a building to be proud of. A building which will not look out of place, amidst the Carnegie Library, Town Hall Square, Education Offices, Masonic Lodge etc etc - all these buildings have stood the test of time. Let's add to this.
Why not build a frontage onto the Mechanics/Boys Grammar School building in the "Style Of" the old Mechanics. Externally at least we could retain the beautiful age old central personality of our town.

We need a Community Hall to put back the "Heart in Keighley" this we could have instead of pie in the sky ideas from people who do not even live here.

Do old Keighlians and Old KBGS pupils want what remains of their building demolished? I think not.

Come on people of Keighley, let us show them what we are made of....unite against another area earmarked for shops - remember the area they pulled down on South Street, Water Lane...where is our North Beck, another thing we could have made into a feature......no they demolished and left it.......

Come on Keighley !!!!

sienna7, Haworth says...
9:27pm Sun 14 Jun 09

this is yet another ill thought out scheme, there's a cinema round the corner & Keighley has an abundance of empty shops. We need an imaginative idea that's not just another white elephant!

Kevin Costner, Crossroads says...
4:31pm Mon 15 Jun 09

Build another dole office, we are going to need one to accomodate the queues expected.

Che Guava, Keighley says...
8:04pm Wed 17 Jun 09

Lets have a CUTTING EDGE, COOL, ICONIC GREEN DEVELOPMENT. One that says Keighley has vision and is taking a lead bringing sustainability and community cohesion together. It could be a zero carbon, mininal environmental building generating its own energy, capturing water and grow food on the roof. It could have NON-COMMERCIAL SPACE for community use. It could be a park. It could have an alcohol free teenage "pub/cafe" that would be a great place for teens to hang out, mix and share music, culture and ideas. If Keighley folk let the planners build another supermarket box we deserve everything we get.

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