Community center plan for the former Bradford Palm Cove concert venue

A derelict music venue that once hosted concerts by rock legends such as The Cure and Joe Strummer could be turned into a community centre.

The Palm Cove Club in Manningham, Bradford, has been a popular concert hall since the late 1970s but has been vacant for several years.

Hollings Youth Association has submitted a planning application to convert the building into a community center and nursery.

The volunteer organization said it would provide an important facility for youth in the area, as well as provide skills training for the unemployed.

Bands such as The Fall, Diamond Head and Hanoi Rocks played at Palm Cove in its heyday and it was also a well-known reggae venue.

However, it has since fallen into disrepair, with parts of the roof collapsed and several windows broken, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The renovation scheme would see the building divided into two large halls, a nursery and a kitchen.

Meanwhile, a section of the stone courtyard behind the site would become a 12-space car park.

Documents submitted to Bradford Council said there was “less need” for a clubhouse and gig venue as the Manningham area had changed.

“Over the years, the development has been left in a state of disrepair. Because of this, much of the property requires extensive renovation and regeneration,” the papers said.

“The proposal aims to bring the building back to life by using the bones of the existing structure to create an enhanced mixed-use development that blends effortlessly into its surroundings.”

An “extensive overhaul” of the interiors would be required, the documents added.

A decision on the application is expected to be made by councilors later this month.