Permission refused for 'unsightly' storage site

A retrospective planning application for a storage depot built without planning permission next to a Grade II* listed park in Bradford has been refused.

The depot, described by planning officers as "unsightly, crude and transient", had been created on a vacant site next to Peel Park, with a number of large containers stored on the site for several months.

A retrospective planning application was submitted for the works earlier this year, and applicant Mr M Irshad said he had "assumed he didn't need permission".

Turning down the application, Bradford Council officers described it as "poor quality", adding that the site should be "properly developed".

The site - near Peel Park, a Victorian green space that was the city's first publicly owned park - was where the The Mount care home had been located before its demolition in 2019.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the retrospective planning application stated the site would "provide much needed storage space for customers within this mixed use area and will make practical use of this piece of land".

A total of 71 people had written to Bradford Council objecting to the plan, with 73 people writing in support.

Objectors raised issues such as traffic and described the site as an "eyesore", while objectors claimed the storage depot would be useful and a viable business.

Bradford Council's conservation officer Jon Ackroyd raised serious concerns about the impact of the depot on the neighbouring landmark park.

Mr Ackroyd said: "The site has been left in a degraded state, with crushed hardcore across much of its extent. This detracts from the locality and the setting of the park.

"The presentation of the site, part used and part without any obvious purpose, with the placement of vehicle trailer bodies appears unsightly, crude and transient.

"The site should be properly developed to a permanent and beneficial long term use.

"The proposal causes immediately obvious visual harm with no offsetting public benefit."

Refusing the application, planning officers said: "The proposal, due to its prominent siting, appearance, materials and boundary fencing, has resulted in a poor quality development.

It "appears incongruous within the street scene and fails to respect or enhance the character of the surrounding area", they added.

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