PLANS to convert a vacant unit on Darley Street into a bar have been approved by Bradford Council.

Game was one of the many businesses to re-locate from the once bustling shopping street to the Broadway Shopping Centre, and its former Darley Street store has been vacant since last year.

Yesterday Bradford Council approved an application, by Al's Dime Bar owner Steve Le Shaw, to transform the building into a bar and live music venue.

The application had said he would "invest substantially with a refurbishment and internal alteration of the property" and would stay open until 2am.

At the time of the application just seven out of 18 units on the pedestrianised stretch of Darley Street were occupied. One of those is a charity and another an arts group’s temporary hub.

Bradford Council has been pushing for more non-retail businesses to help fill the empty units on Darley Street, and recently announced its intention to loosen planning laws to make it easier for former shop units to be turned into bars, restaurants and office space.

And the Council is planning to open a new food market in the former Marks & Spencer building on the street, with a predicted opening date of 2021.