Permission refused for 'unsightly' Bradford storage site
A retrospective planning application for a storage depot built without planning permission next to a Grade II* listed park in Bradford has been refused.The depot, described by planning officers as "unsightly, crude and transient", had been created on a vacant site next to Peel Park, with a number of large containers stored on the site for several months.A retrospective planning application was submitted for the works earlier this year, and applicant Mr M Irshad said he had "assumed he didn't need permission".Turning down the application, Bradford Council officers described it as "poor quality", adding that the site should be "properly developed".
The site - near Peel Park, a Victorian green space that was the city's first publicly owned park - was where the The Mount care home had been located before its demolition in 2019. According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the retrospective planning application stated the site would "provide much needed storage space for customers within this mixed use area and will make practical use of this piece of land".
'Degraded state'
A total of 71 people had written to Bradford Council objecting to the plan, with 73 people writing in support.Objectors raised issues such as traffic and described the site as an "eyesore", while objectors claimed the storage depot would be useful and a viable business.Bradford Council's conservation officer Jon Ackroyd raised serious concerns about the impact of the depot on the neighbouring landmark park. Mr Ackroyd said: "The site has been left in a degraded state, with crushed hardcore across much of its extent. This detracts from the locality and the setting of the park."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."The site should be properly developed to a permanent and beneficial long term use."The proposal causes immediately obvious visual harm with no offsetting public benefit."Refusing the application, planning officers said: "The proposal, due to its prominent siting, appearance, materials and boundary fencing, has resulted in a poor quality development.It "appears incongruous within the street scene and fails to respect or enhance the character of the surrounding area", they added.
Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Edinburgh Reporter
2 hours ago
- Edinburgh Reporter
All osprey chicks perish at Borders site
An osprey nest in the Tweed Valley that attracted UK-wide attention after one male and two female birds set up home together as a trio has ended in tragedy after all four of their chicks have died. The avian love triangle developed after a male known as Newboy mated with two females on the same nest. Rather than attempt to oust each other, the resident female known as Mrs O accepted the younger bird dubbed F2. They took turns incubating their four eggs while Newboy provided fish for the nest in behaviour never before captured on camera. All four chicks hatched successfully, but the saga took a twist as Newboy abandoned the nest, with the drama being live-streamed to the Glentress Visitor Centre near Peebles via a camera positioned over the nest. Although F2 brought a small number of fish back to the nest she was unable to prevent all four chicks from starving. Diane Bennett, project officer for the Tweed Valley Osprey Project, which monitors the raptors, said: 'It's so sad. There's been a lot of tears shed. 'When the first two chicks came along F2 brought a fish in and we hoped that she would step up as a provider in the absence of Newboy. 'But by the time the next two chicks hatched the first two were already starving. 'We watched in hope and we were delighted when F2 came back with one more fish but it just wasn't enough. 'The females are wired to stay and look after the young and I think it proved too difficult for them to go against that instinct and go and fish and all four chicks starved. 'When Mrs O stepped off she was clearly distressed and calling and F2 just looked bewildered.' Mrs O, the resident female for several years, returned to the nest on March 30 and welcomed the new male suitor after her previous partner FK0 failed to return from migration. Another mystery female, F2, later appeared and the male, who became known as Newboy, began mating with both. When Mrs O laid her first egg on April 18, it was thought she might settle with the male and chase the younger female away. But onlookers were stunned as the two females were 'surprisingly tolerant' of each other, laying four eggs between them and sharing incubation duties and fish delivered by Newboy. However, the male abandoned the nest amid fears he had been denied his share in parenting and been made 'redundant'. Under normal circumstances, this can prove fatal for chicks whose mother is then forced to abandon them to hunt. Hopes for their survival were raised as the two females appeared to adapt to the situation. F2 assumed the role of provider in Newboy's absence, but deliveries were insufficient. Bennett added: 'Everyone is so heartbroken that the female ospreys have not managed to make this situation work. 'It has been very upsetting and sad to watch this family drama turn to tragedy and it brings home just how vulnerable and fragile the whole breeding cycle can be for ospreys. 'For their very brief lives these chicks touched many hearts of people who dearly wanted them to survive. 'Nature is raw and can be seen as cruel at times but it is part of the natural cycle of life. 'We do not know if Mrs O and F2 will return and both claim the territory again next season. 'Hopefully, Mrs O will return and a new male will come that will provide for her, and F2 will move on to territory of her own.' Too late to breed again this year, it is thought both females will depart on migration early and return next spring. Male osprey bringing fish for two female birds and their offspring. Photo Saltire News and Sport Ltd Osprey in the nest in the Scottish Borders. PHOTO Saltire News and Sport Ltd Osprey in the nest in the Scottish Borders. PHOTO Saltire News and Sport Ltd Osprey in the nest in the Scottish Borders. PHOTO Saltire News and Sport Ltd Female osprey Mrs O moments after a third chick hatched PHOTO Saltire News and Sport Ltd Female osprey Mrs O moments after a third chick hatched PHOTO Saltire News and Sport Ltd Like this: Like Related
Telegraph
3 hours ago
- Telegraph
UK's biggest solar farm ‘will ruin views of the Malvern Hills'
Britain's biggest solar farm will ruin the views of the Malvern Hills if it gets planning permission, residents have warned. Opponents of plans for a 271-acre solar farm near Powick, Worcestershire, have said it will destroy the natural landscape and pose a fire risk to people living nearby. Preserve Powick Landscape and Nature (PPLAN), who have already erected signs around the area, marched from Hospital Lane in Powick through parts of the proposed site on Sunday. They are worried the solar farm will disrupt views of the Malvern Hills, cause harm to local wildlife, and pose fire risks from batteries used to store energy. Peter Loader, the leader of PPLAN who lives adjacent to the site, has described his concerns over the proposed development, including fire risks and traffic disruptions expected to last at least seven months. He said the reason he had been co-ordinating the events in opposition to the solar farm 'is primarily the impact on the landscape'. 'There are a lot of people who won't be able to walk through that area – and the Malvern Hills is an area of outstanding natural beauty,' Mr Loader said. 'Both the Malvern Hills Trust and the National Landscape people have objected because the view from the Malvern Hills would clearly be impacted by this site. 'The A449 has more than 20,000 vehicles a day going along it – and that is pretty much the capacity for a single carriageway A-road. Because they need to lay a cable from this side to the nearest substation, they're proposing putting roadworks up for seven months – and that's pretty serious. 'Not only will it affect people's day-to-day lives, with taking children to school, it will also affect ambulances. Many residents are concerned about the fire risk – when they catch fire, they can't be put out. 'When that happens, there's a toxic vapour cloud that forms, and the fairly large housing estate is downwind.' Steve Lloyd, who lives across from the proposed entrance to the solar farm, said he was worried about increased traffic and noise in the area, as well as the potential fire hazards. He said his greatest concern was 'mainly the size of it'. 'I'm a farmer, and it's so close to my house and my farm. I'm just thinking about what could go wrong. Apparently they can catch fire from the battery storage system,' Mr Lloyd said. 'People are worried about the fire risk and the wildlife. There's also the glare from it, and just the actual size of it. Traffic is also very much a concern – it's on a single-track lane.' RWE Renewables UK Solar & Storage Ltd, which is behind the plans, told the BBC that the site was close to the National Grid, making it 'the best and most suitable' location for the project.
BBC News
3 hours ago
- BBC News
Fire breaks out at fish and chips shop in Brown Edge
Fire crews have been battling a blaze at a fish and chip shop. Flames broke out at Sandy Lane Fish and Chips in Brown Edge, Staffordshire, on Sunday a post on X shortly after 15:30 BST, Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service said four crews were sent to the scene on Sandy Lane, and urged people to avoid the area.A fire service spokesperson told the BBC nobody was hurt and it was believed the blaze started accidentally, although a cause had not been identified. Firefighters had since left the scene, the spokesperson added. Follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
