A proposal to build 47 houses at Denholme Gate has been recommended for refusal by planning officers.

District councillors were today due to discuss plans put forward by one of the district’s best-known textile firms.

Denholme Velvets, which has been in the town since 1938, revealed development plans last month aimed at securing the firm’s survival. It wanted to demolish old mill buildings for a housing development and focus operations on a smaller unit.

The firm’s 15 workers would relocate to a 12,000 sq ft warehouse nearby, which would be extensively refurbished.

The rest of the 1.8-hectare site at Foreside Mill, in Halifax Road, would be used for new three, four and five-bedroom homes.

The plans, which also call for new access, car parking and landscaping, were today due to be discussed by Shipley Area Planning Panel.

The panel will make comments, then pass the application to the council’s regulatory and appeals committee because the scheme departs from Bradford Council’s Replacement Unitary Development Plan.

Council officers believe the site is not suitable for so many houses and as such would breach guidelines covering building in the green belt.

Other concerns include insufficient information in the application, lack of services and facilities at Denholme Gate and noise and land contamination problems.

Denholme Town Council has objected due to concerns of over-development, drainage problems, capacity at the local school and lack of infrastructure for the number of homes.

At its peak, Denholme Velvets was an internationally renowned velvet manufacturer employing about 150 people.

It was famous for its high-quality chiffon velvet as well as specialised velvets for jewellery displays and other technical uses.

Manufacturing came to an end about 12 months ago after the firm lost a crucial market for making velvet for leading photographic companies after the digital revolution.

Julian Armitage, managing director, said recently that the demise of the photographic market was the final nail in the coffin for the firm’s manufacturing business.

He said: “It was a really important market for us and we supplied all the leading companies.

“Manufacturing had been under pressure from cheap Far East imports and was phased out over 18 months or so.”