Charging hub for 24 cars approved for unused land

Developers plan to create 24 EV charging bays off Valley Road in Bradford

Plans to build a 24-bay electric vehicle (EV) charging hub in Bradford have been approved.

Developers said the bays, on a long-vacant site off Valley Road, would be in a "highly accessible location” in the city centre.

The proposals also include the building of a drive-thru Starbucks on the same site.

Planning officers who approved the scheme said the development would make use of a "vacant site that has been undeveloped for many years" and boost the economy by creating jobs.

The plans were submitted by Metalcraft Development LTD earlier this year and approved by Bradford Council this week.

The company had already been given permission to create a smaller EV charging hub made up of 11 charging points on the site, which is currently allocated as a car park.

The site earmarked for development has been vacant for many years

The planning application said the drive-thru coffee shop would "form a complementary addition to the EV charging bays, providing an amenity for customers whilst they charge their vehicles, as well as for visitors and employees of the existing commercial and retail units within the vicinity of the application site".

It said the work "represents a significant capital investment in the local area and will secure the comprehensive redevelopment of an underutilised surface-level car park”.

The planning officers who approved the scheme acknowledged that the site had originally been allocated for city centre housing, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

They said: “Within the Little Germany and Cathedral Quarter, there are several other sites allocated for housing.

“The capacity to provide housing within the wider allocation is therefore not severely prejudiced by the proposed development."

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