ONE of Bradford’s most prominent eyesores will soon disappear after demolition work began.

The Kingswood Arms was once a bustling pub, but for the last 20 years it has been a derelict shell, looming over the busy Cutler Heights junction.

In recent years concerns have been raised about the building’s stability.

And Bradford Council had received numerous calls that the building had become a “drugs den” that was regularly being broken into.

But diggers are now on the site of the building, gradually pulling down the former pub.

Earlier this year site owners Templer Management submitted an application to demolish the pub.

They said the Council had been in touch with them over the state and safety of the building, and added: “The property has become a drugs den and is a danger as it is not stable.”

They said they hoped to carry out the work over the Summer.

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Approving the application for demolition, planning officers at Bradford Council said: “Kingswood Arms is a former public house, the building has been unoccupied for some time and has fallen into a state of disrepair.

“The supporting information indicates the as the condition continues to decline the building is becoming unsafe, and its continued vacancy is resulting in anti-social behaviour at the site.

“The condition is such that bringing the building back into use would take significant levels of work, if indeed it remains a viable option.”

Officers pointed out there had been no objections to the demolition plans, adding: “The proposition to demolish the building has generated no representations.”

Any re-development of the site will require a separate planning application to be submitted.

Previous plans to turn the land into a car park had been approved, but never implemented. And in the 1990s plans to use the land to implement a road widening and junction improvement scheme were mooted, but never came to fruition.

For years local residents and politicians have called for something to be done about the increasingly decrepit building.

In 2015 Bradford East MP Imran Hussain told the Telegraph & Argus: “I’m always approached by people in my surgeries by people who want us to do something about this building.

“It isn’t a very good visual and ultimately I’d welcome any kind of development if it means getting rid of this eyesore.”

And when the latest demolition plans were submitted Hassan Uzzaman Khan, a Labour councillor for the Bowling and Barkerend ward, said: “It is a huge eyesore for the area.

“Everyone wants to see something happen with the site.

“The site really needs to be made safer. It is really dangerous - the building is really not in a good condition and it could fall down at any time.

“People are always complaining about it, but as a Council we are limited in what we can do if the owner doesn’t want to do anything.

“We want to see some action here. It is a gateway to the city, in a very eye-catching position, but we have this eye sore site.”