Street food venue blocked due to road concerns

Bradford Council planning officers raised concerns about the food vendor area causing pedestrian safety issues

A plan to build a street food hub on a busy junction in Bradford has been refused due to road safety concerns.

The offering was planned for a triangular plot between Thornton Road and Listerhills Road and would have included six food vendors and public seating.

Bradford Council officers feared that adding several vendors to the small plot of land, which has no pedestrian crossings, raised too many pedestrian safety issues.

Dubbed TriYard, the proposals by Mi7 Projects Ltd described "a vibrant and eclectic experience where visitors can savour flavours from around the world in a single, lively location".

Bradford Council granted temporary planning permission for a street food business based in a "renovated vintage vehicle" on the plot of land in 2023.

A condition of the approval was that the site would need to be cleared within two years of the business being established, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

An artist's impression of the potential site was put to Bradford Council

The promised "lively location" raised alarm bells with highways officers, who felt the site couldn't cope with extra car and pedestrian traffic.

They said: "The proposal would also lead to an increase in the number of vehicular movements.

"There is significant competition for on-street parking locally and although it is acknowledged that the site is within a short distance of the city centre, there is no off-street parking provided."

Despite no detail of what food the vendors would offer, planning officers also raised health concerns due to its proximity to Bradford College, a YMCA and a Laser Zone attraction.

"The takeaways proposed could have significant potential to increase health inequalities in this area, which would not be acceptable," they added.

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