Entrepreneurs give new lease of life to derelict site

A DERELICT nursing home which had become a haven for anti-social behaviour since closing in 2008 is being brought back to life by two Yorkshire entrepreneurs.

The Knoll Nursing Home is being redeveloped by Heather Baker and Jonathan Thornton, who are developing a new and exclusive children’s day nursery on the Bradford site, creating up to 30 new jobs.

Baker will open the Woodlands Park Day Nursery, Apperley Bridge, in May.

The company has secured a £350,000 funding package from HSBC’s West Yorkshire Commercial Centre to support the acquisition of the site and redevelopment costs, in a deal led by senior commercial manager Tom Sikora and commercial manager Phil Briggs.

The nursery is the first move into childcare for the couple, who have focused on property development for the past 10 years after selling their sunbed business in 2004.

Baker said: “We are very excited about the nursery launch and we have received so many positive comments from the local community for redeveloping the Knoll. It is a beautiful building but had really become an eyesore after the nursing home closed, attracting all sorts of anti-social behaviour. We have created a great environment for the children to play and learn and we are extremely passionate about benchmarking our high standards and we aim to become a leading childcare provider.”

HSBC West Yorkshire area commercial director Mike Hemingway said: “It is great to see the Knoll being brought back from its derelict state, it really had become a blight in the community and had been targeted by arsonists a couple of times.

“We worked with the business to understand their requirements and their vision for the business, and have been delighted to support the project.”