Plan to convert pub resubmitted after refusal

The former Black Swan in Frizinghall

A developer has submitted new plans to convert a former Bradford pub, months after being told they had "no compelling case" to do so.

The application would seek to turn the former Black Swan in Frizinghall into a restaurant.

Bradford Council previously refused plans which wanted to create café and restaurant on the ground floor and turn the upper floor into bedsits.

The bedsit element of the scheme has been dropped in the new application.

Instead, the upper floor would remain as a three-bedroom property, which it was when the pub was operating.

The new application by Tirah Parveen detailed the pressures the hospitality industry had faced in recent years and said the Grade II-listed Black Swan was one of the victims of that.

Known locally as the Mucky Duck, the building dates back to the mid-1800s and has operated as a pub since the 1890s.

It shut in early 2023 due to "rising costs".

'Lack of maintenance'

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), the previous application was refused for a number of reasons, including concerns it would provide "poor living conditions" for the residents of the planned bedsits.

The council's conservation officer, Jon Ackroyd, added that there was a lack of information, which was needed to justify the loss of such a significant venue.

He said: "The public house use is a part of the social history of the building and its presence in the locality.

"The change of use to an alternative use from public house must be accompanied by a compelling case, which is not evident in the submitted documentation."

In response, the new application said the building had "suffered a lack of maintenance" as customer numbers had reduced.

"The building had to have the front roof removed and new timbers installed due to a serious infestation of woodworm which had gone untreated," it said.

"The condition of the building and the need for substantial repairs had contributed to the difficulty of finding a buyer when it came up for sale."

It argued that the proposal was "compatible" with its previous use.

A decision on the application is expected next month.

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