Inspector to rule on restaurant design plans

The proposed site continues to lay unused

The development of a retail park on a major Bradford road is being held up by a dispute over the design of a restaurant, according to the applicant.

Plans to build a restaurant and retail units on the former Gallopers pub site on Wakefield Road were first approved in 2020.

However, the site remains vacant and overgrown due to concerns that the restaurant "would appear overly large, visible, and overbearing".

In an appeal, the applicant Redbeck Group wrote "local planning authorities should look for solutions rather than problems".

The scheme proposed a restaurant and a row of four small shops, but earlier this year an application to amend the design of the restaurant was submitted by the Redbeck Group.

The company argued that rising building costs meant they had to revisit the restaurant’s approved design to keep the development financially viable.

This included changing plans for the building to be clad in aluminium knotwood rather than the approved timber cladding.

Bradford Council refused this change last month, saying the new design was more "blocky" than the proposal planners approved in 2020.

"The proposed materials would result in much reduced visibility throughout the form of the approved restaurant building," the local authority added.

"The resulting form would appear overly large, visible, and overbearing when viewed from surrounding highways."

'Striking appearance'

Redbeck Group has now lodged an appeal against this decision, meaning a planning inspector will have a final say on the proposals.

Its appeal said the group was "eager to implement the planning approval" and considered changes to be "in keeping with the site and its surroundings".

The appeal continued: "The changes would constitute a minor change that would be barely noticeable when viewed from the highway.

"The proposed restaurant unit would continue to have a striking appearance due to a clever arrangement of timber and glazing which is well suited to its prominence when viewed from Wakefield Road.

"The appellant is seeking to strike the correct balance between achieving viability in a drastically changing economy and providing a good quality development.

"Local planning authorities should look for solutions rather than problems, and decision-takers at every level should seek to approve applications for sustainable development where possible."

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