PLANS to build a café on a “derelict” Conservation Area site off Thornton Road have been submitted to Bradford Council.

The new application is for a shipping container café and car park on a former workshop site that had been earmarked for a major residential redevelopment that never materialised.

The plan is similar to an application refused by Bradford Council in October.

A “Chai Village” matching the proposed plans has been in place at the site for months, with work appearing to be well underway before the October refusal.

Although the application form acknowledges that work was completed in May, a separate document detailing how the plans will fit into the Conservation Area describes it a derelict site surrounded by hoarding, with no mention of the café buildings, murals and large screen that have been built in recent months.

A Heritage Statement included in the plan says: “The land is currently derelict with wooden hoarding up to stop unwanted entry.

“The plot does not currently have any buildings on and is just derelict land.

“As there is no current building on this site, we believe that developing this site with a low-profile development such as the proposed will help to bring community to Thornton Road.”

The site lies within Bradford’s historic Goitside Conservation Area.

The former workshop site, overlooked by the Hollins Mill building, was once earmarked for a nine-storey retail and residential development.

Although the land was cleared in preparation for the development, work never began.

Last year’s café application and this latest one were submitted by Christopher Thornburn.

Planning officers refused the previous application saying: "The proposal is out of keeping with much of the Thornton Road frontage, which is lined by traditional stone buildings of a consistent form and scale, some 3-4 storeys in height with slate roofs.

“The proposed use and treatment of the site, predominantly for parking with a low rise single storey structure would not be consistent with the prevailing character of this key frontage.

"The timber structure is visually jarring amongst the masonry surroundings, materially harming the visually amenities of the area."

Planning officers also argued that the café “would impede the proper regeneration and development of the site.”

The heritage statement added: “There are a number of new developments happening around the conservation area, such as the new development on the Sunbridge Road side of the conservation area.”

The document does not specify what this new development is.

A decision on the application is expected next month.

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