Anna Dixon MP for the Shipley constituency, has announced that she has received assurances that a new development in Saltaire will not affect the village’s World Heritage status.
Shipley College, which operates within many of the village’s iconic buildings, received planning approval in February 2024 to construct a £6 million Community, Arts, Heritage and Future Technology Centre on the Caroline Street car park.
The plans submitted by Shipley College include new classrooms for science and engineering students, new public toilets, exhibition space, a community classroom, and a public garden.
Dixon decided to take action after several local residents contacted her regarding a petition urging Bradford Council to reconsider its decision to grant planning approval, citing concerns that the development could jeopardies UNESCO's designation of Saltaire as a World Heritage site.
The Labour MP proactively reached out to the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Historic England, and Bradford Council and received reassurance from all three entities that the new development would not put Saltaire's status at risk.
The Member of Parliament wrote to each body and received responses, including one from Historic England, saying: “From our perspective, the development does not pose a substantive threat to Saltaire’s World Heritage Status.”
Anna Dixon also met with representatives of the local campaign group Save Our Saltaire to better understand their concerns and determine how to address them.
The Shipley MP said of the development: “As soon as I became aware of this issue, I made it clear that I would strongly oppose any development that could threaten Saltaire’s World Heritage Status.
“Saltaire is a beautiful and historic village, and that is why I acted swiftly to receive reassurance from numerous relevant entities that this development would not put its status at risk. I am thankful to all the bodies for being able to provide this to me.
“The new Shipley College development will give Saltaire a state-of-the-art facility that I believe will benefit educational opportunities, enrich community cultural projects and boost the local economy.
“I will, of course, be keeping very close attention to this project as it progresses, and I will do my utmost to ensure that Saltaire’s World Heritage Status is not put at risk at any point in the future.”