THERE are fears a former care home site in the centre of Bradford’s Holme Wood estate could become another Yorkshire Martyrs school-style “fiasco” if action is not taken.

The old Holme View site, on Mead View, closed in 2017 and looks an increasingly sorry state.

It has fallen victim to a number of fires in recent months, raising concern it could go down the same path as the Yorkshire Martyrs site in Tong, which became a blight on the surrounding area as it stood empty and abandoned.

Slide to see how the site has changed 

Matt Edwards, a Green Party campaigner in the ward, says people have been concerned about the “deterioration” of the site since Bradford Council sold it in 2018.

“Since then, the new owners have failed to sell twice now and the fires and anti social behaviour aren’t exactly going to make it more appealing to potential buyers,” he said.

“The people living in Holme Wood deserve to see something happen here to bring this site brought back into use.

“The Council has enforcement powers and it needs to send a clear message to landowners that it will not allow prominent sites like this fall into such a poor state.”

“We can’t allow this to be another fiasco the former Yorkshire Martyrs School building.”

The old school was in the spotlight last year, when three brothers were fined more than £20,000 for failing to ensure the site, which has been plagued by fires and anti-social behaviour was secure.

It got to the point where firefighters had to undertake specific training in relation to the site.

Mr Edwards shared pictures from the Holme View site to raise the issue with Bradford Council.

He said: “What’s happening with the old Holme View site in Holme Wood? There have been two fires in two months and the site is not secure...

“I know it’s privately owned but surely you can do something?”

A spokesperson for the Council told the Telegraph & Argus: “Problems with this building have only recently been brought to our attention.

“Our Building Control department is investigating and we will take appropriate action.”

Councillor Alan Wainwright (Lab, Tong) has also spoken of his frustration.

He said he went inside the building when it had a prospective buyer from its current owner, believed to be a Birmingham-based company, and said it was an “absolute mess” - despite the building being secure at that point - and that it would cost too much money to renovate.

“You would not believe the state of it in there,” he said.

“I can’t understand anybody buying it. Eventually it will get pulled down - it’s the time it takes to do that.”

He said it had taken seven years with the old Tempest pub on Kesteven Road.

The state of the burnt-out pub attracted a great deal of anger in the years before it was ordered to be demolished.

The grounds were often strewn with rubbish, including mattresses, timber, kitchen items, bin bags and old fences.

The state of the eyesore site prompted the nearby Ryecroft Primary Academy to petition Bradford Council to demolish the building.

“I hope it doesn’t take that long,” Cllr Wainwright said.

“We wanted it [Holme View] demolished - we knew what would happen.

“You leave a building empty - it will get torched. It just seems to be an epidemic - empty buildings get fired. It’s not good at all - it’s frustrating, it really is.”

He added: “It takes a long, long time to take legal action against a company.”

The home, which specialised in caring for people with dementia, was put up for sale by the Council in November 2017

Relatives of people living in the home had been fighting a campaign to keep it open while the existing residents lived out the rest of their lives.

A petition calling for the home to be saved had attracted 2,481 signatures, but the Council’s decision-making Executive opted to press ahead with the closure plan, citing concerns over the state of the building.

It was estimated it would have cost £1 million to bring the home up to scratch, while closing it would save money. In 2016/17, the authority spent £1.5 million on running it, with income only coming to £352,084.