Store's retrospective planning permission refused

The building has green signage and a canopy at the front

The owners of a Bradford supermarket housed in a listed building have had planning permission refused for works including signage, lights and a wooden porch.

Zain's Superstore at 226 Legrams Lane is in a building which dates back to 1779 when it was built as a farmhouse. It was extended in the 1860s and awarded a Grade II listing in 1983.

Conservation officers said changes already made to the building - such as the installation of uPVC windows - had caused "appreciable harm".

Retrospective listed building consent for the unauthorised works was submitted to Bradford Council by Zain Haq earlier this year but has been refused.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), the application said: "Many of the original external features and windows still exist, although in need of repair or renovation."

An unauthorised canopy at the front of the building was "wrongly assumed to not require planning approval because of its nature as a temporary lightweight construction", it said.

"There has also been a Royal Mail, DPD and UPS collection and post kiosk installed along the front elevation, adding another community service to the established retail service."

Council officers raised concerns about how the changes have impacted the Grade II listed building.

Conservation officer Jon Ackroyd said: "Since adaptation to supermarket use, the condition of the buildings has deteriorated and they now present a very poor appearance."

Originally a farmhouse, it has been used as a supermarket for many years

He said there were "boarded windows, decayed window frames, unauthorised signage and lights scattered across the buildings, and the wider site degraded by signs, parcel collection lockers, external storage, and apparent storage of unused vehicles which devalues the site in contrast to its former landscaping with mature trees."

Mr Ackroyd said the "garish colour" of the cladding and signage causes harm to the listed building.

He said: "Individually, all of the alterations here applied for cause harm.

"Cumulatively they cause appreciable harm to the listed building. There is no possible mitigation envisaged and no aspect of the application can be supported."

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