'Substantial harm' caused by discount shop's sign

Planning officers said the signage had caused "substantial harm" to the building

A retrospective application to fit bright red signage to a discount shop in a Grade II-listed building has been rejected.

The former bank was converted into a Pound Saver at 45-47 Bank Street in Bradford earlier this year without consent being in place for the new frontage.

The request submitted by Sameholla Salamziy said the completed project had been "consistent with conservation best practice".

Bradford Council planning officers rejected this claim, stating that the unauthorised signage had caused "substantial harm" to a designated heritage asset.

They said the appearance of the shop's sign and cladding, which is fixed to the granite frontier, did not "respect the age or detailing of the host building", according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

"The works which have been carried out due to the materials, scale and colour palette are deemed to be unsympathetic additions," they added.

The application said the signage had been fixed using "discrete methods" which would damage or alter the building.

"Although the installed signage is assertive in colour, it is consistent with the established urban character and reflects the area's commercial vibrancy," it added.

Si Cunningham, chair of Bradford Civic Society, said the issue of unauthorised sign installations was "like Groundhog Day".

"People [think] they can put any old tat in a conservation area and then waste loads of time and money getting it fixed," he said.

"It's not tolerated in the most historic parts of other cities, so I don't see why we should tolerate it in Bradford."

Earlier this year a retrospective application for signage at the unit next to Pound Saver – the Cash Generator premises - was refused by planning officers.

The company has since submitted an application for slightly amended signage, with a decision yet to be made.

In 2023, new signage was installed at The Red Shop, a convenience store in the Grade I-listed Wool Exchange, without permission.

A retrospective application was refused, and the unauthorised signage was replaced in 2024.

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