Bradford Office Block Could Become Flats Under New Conversion Plan

Hey, guess what’s happening in Bradford? They want to convert 1 Godwin Street into apartments. That building is currently Vanquis Banking Group’s HQ. The plan involves making 103 apartments there.

Southgate, where the building sits, finished in 2010. At the time, they thought it would help Bradford. Now, a US company wants to create flats inside. There will be one, two, and three-bedroom options. The ground floor will have two shops instead.

Vanquis is staying in Bradford, don’t worry. They are just moving to another office nearby. That other office used to house PriceWaterhouseCooper.

The US company asked for “permitted development.” This allows converting offices into homes easily. The government hoped it would help revive city centers. Developers face less bureaucracy this way.

Some people in Bradford are not happy. They think the apartments will be low quality. Also, they claim plans avoid council scrutiny.

But, the council says this project qualifies. So, the conversion can happen without their specific approval.

Southgate aimed to regenerate the city. It replaced a vacant lot with Vanquis HQ. Also, a 200-bed hotel exists there, which isn’t affected. The council even gave a loan to help the project earlier.

They repaid that loan with interest quickly. Southgate was the last big office build before One City Park. The company still needs permission for exterior changes. New windows will likely require special permits. The Bradford Council must approve that part.