Farm shop refusal upheld despite public support

A decision to refuse planning permission for a farm shop in part of Bradford has been upheld, despite 900 letters of support for the proposal.

Plans by Isherwood’s butchers to build a new shop and café next to the golf driving range on Keighley Road in Silsden were rejected by a council plans panel in April.

Planning officers had argued that the development would be inappropriate because the site is on greenbelt land.

That decision has now been backed by the government's Planning Inspectorate after an appeal.

The business argued it needed to expand, and there was no other location in Silsden town centre that could meet its needs.

It added that the farm shop would represent a huge investment and create local jobs.

Keighley MP Robbie Moore had been among the application's supporters, calling the initial April refusal decision "hypocritical, nonsensical and anti-business".

But in its ruling, published online, the Planning Inspectorate said the proposal had not demonstrated the exceptional circumstances developers need to prove when they want to build on greenbelt land.

It said: "A fundamental aim of greenbelt policy is to prevent urban sprawl by keeping land permanently open. The essential characteristics of greenbelts are their openness and their permanence.

"The proposed building would be prominent within views from the adjacent road which is set slightly above the level of the site. Depending on the direction of travel and position on the road of the user, the building would restrict views along the Aire Valley."

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