Silsden Pavilion Restoration Update, Newsletter #5

The Silsden Pavilion Community Group (SPCG) have been unable to get the refurbishment of Silsden Pavilion work completed to be a building you said you would like to see and be able to use.

We have fought for nearly three years to get the approval of Silsden Town Council (STC) and Bradford Met. All to no avail.

Every time we thought we were getting towards our goal, another obstacle was put in our way.

We have now got to the point where we can do no more, and Bradford has taken over the refurbishment to make the building wind and watertight, with STC permission. This is a makeover only and will not produce a sustainable, usable building that the park users of Silsden have asked for.

1. Bradford suggested they could “passport” the Section 106 monies to the SPCG via Silsden Town Council: STC acting as the interim banker, in October 2025.
2.  STC agreed to act as the Interim banker.
3. STC gave a grant of £6,673 to SPCG to pay for the preparation and submission of the Planning Application.
4. The Planning application was successful and granted on 16th April 2026
5. STC could not sign up to the legal agreement drawn up by Bradford to facilitate the “passporting” of the Section 106 monies.
6. STC gave landowners permission to Bradford for them to carry out restoration work.
7. Bradford and STC agreed that Bradford would only carry out the works necessary to make the building watertight, stable, and secure.
8. SPCG suggested alternative works to Bradford, as detailed in the approved plans. These would produce a rectangular building footprint and a complete simplified re-roof, doing away with any flat roofs.
9. Bradford ignored our revised works suggestions and stated that they would only carry out the works as item 7. (i.e. a makeover).
10. SPCG requested STC to give landowners permission to carry out the phase 2 works. (This is the internal fitting out of the Pavilion, assuming the building footprint would be modified as in item 8 above, as the SPCG require, to meet the needs of the park users. (STC are the landowners on behalf of the residents of Silsden).
11. Meanwhile, SPCG were proceeding with a CIO application as a way of applying for grant money for the phase 2 works. It could also, in theory, use the passported S106 money.
12. STC refused to give landowners permission for SPCG to carry out any phase 2 works. Without this permission, we did not have the authority to obtain CIO status.
13. Although the Park is registered to STC, on behalf of the residents, there is no legal agreement between STC and Bradford over the maintenance of the park and the granting of any leases. The excuse was that a legal agreement was needed before landowners’ permission could be given.
14. Both Bradford and STC have stated that the other should eventually give out any leases to SPCG. Each stated that it was NOT their responsibility to give leases.
15. Due to the lease impasse, SPCG had to postpone its application for CIO status.
16. It was decided that as SPCG were unable to make any further progress, due to items 9, 10,12, 13, 14, and 15, the Silsden Pavilion Community Group could not achieve their aims.

Robert G Davis, Chair.
23rd July 2026

NOTES:

Section 106  Monies provided by developers to Bradford for the inconvenience of houses built in Silsden.
Phase 2  Fitting out of the pavilion interior to fulfil the plans of the approved planning application and meet the concept of a sustainable building for the community.
CIO Charitable Incorporated Organisation