Illegal storage site could take 'months' to clear

The developer said he did not think he needed planning permission for the site

A developer who created an impromptu storage facility without planning permission on the site of a former care home said he would need up to five months to remove the "unsightly" containers.

Mohammed Irshad previously told Bradford Council he "assumed he did not need permission" to turn the vacant area into a depot. He later applied for consent retrospectively but it was refused.

Planners argued the storage site on Lister Lane looked "transient and crude" as it was located next to a listed Victorian park.

Mr Irshad has been given until the end of August to get rid of the containers but he told the council that timeframe was "not possible".

Mr Irshad has appealed against the enforcement notice and is seeking an extra "four to five months" to comply with it.

The appeal also said: "He is willing to work with the council and should he be able to clear the site prior to the time allowed by this appeal he will endeavour to do so."

Mr Irshad previously argued that the land would provide "much needed storage space" for the area and the containers have been there for several months, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The land is the former site of The Mount care home which was demolished in 2019.

It is a prominent piece of land next to Grade II-listed Peel Park – a green space that is Bradford's first publicly owned park.

The depot has been there for several months

Sir Titus Salt, the mill baron who built the village of Saltaire, helped to fund the park.

Refusing the initial application, planners said: "New fencing has been installed and a number of redundant vehicle trailer bodies sited to serve as storage facilities.

"These are not however on the whole of the site with the area closest to Bolton Road remaining unused and unsightly.

"The presentation of the site, part used and part without any obvious purpose, with the placement of vehicle trailer bodies appears unsightly, crude and transient."

They added: "The site should be properly developed to a permanent and beneficial long-term use."

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