Former chapel is to be turned into flats and restaurant

11:00am Wednesday 24th October 2012 in News Photograph of the Author By Jo Winrow, City Hall Reporter

The former YMCA building in Little Horton, which is to be developed The former YMCA building in Little Horton, which is to be developed

Plans to turn the former YMCA building in Little Horton, Bradford, into a restaurant with bedsits above were approved yesterday despite hundreds of objections to the scheme.

Bradford firm Bentley Carter Developments wants to renovate the grade II-listed building on Little Horton Lane, for which it has applied for listed building consent.

The plans involve operating a restaurant on the ground floor between 5.30pm and 11pm, and creating eight bedsits on the first floor. There would also be a car park, as well as gates and railings, and the addition of extraction flues.

However, it is the number of parking spaces – at only six – which has brought complaints from nearby residents concerned about the knock-on effect to on-street parking in the area.

One objector told Bradford Planning Panel that although they embrace new businesses coming to the area, they did not believe the premises was suitable for a restaurant.

He said a 300-signature petition had been gathered and that people were baffled by the highways officers’ lack of concern over the parking situation.

Councillor Nazam Azam (Lab, City) added that residents were concerned that a restaurant could also be used as a venue for Asian weddings, which would attract hundreds of cars to the area, as well as noise. But officers responded by saying that any restaurant could host private parties, so it could not be prevented through a condition.

Coun Azam also said that no details had been provided of the restaurant’s capacity or even what type of restaurant it would be.

Officers told the committee members that they recommended changes to parking rules outside the building, including the introduction of double yellow lines. They also said that they were happy with six parking spaces for the eight bedsits.

The plans were passed unanimously under the conditions that double yellow lines are painted on the road outside the property.

Councillor Shabir Hussain, chairman of the panel, said: “It is a building that has been out of use for a long time and we could either decide to leave it there for years to come or improve it for people in the area.

“The plans are for one-bedroom flats, so we think the parking is sufficient.”

Comments(20)

Albion. says...
11:09am Wed 24 Oct 12

Sounds as though the brown envelope brigade have been at it again.

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angry bradfordian says...
11:32am Wed 24 Oct 12

Can't imagine there'd be much demand for a restaurant that you can't actually park outside.
That is of course assuming that anybody actually bothers to enforce the new yellow lines. I'm always amazed by the lack of enforcement whenever there's an event at Manningham Leisure Centre.
What are the chances that at least 1 of the 300 objectors has illegally parked there in the past? That would be the ultimate in NIMBYism.

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Andy2010 says...
11:51am Wed 24 Oct 12

They can put yellow lines anywhere they want but round there I thought it was allowed that you could park anywhere you wanted or just simply stop in the middle of the road....seems to be the norm around that area

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Bone_idle18 says...
12:52pm Wed 24 Oct 12

It's perfect, a restaurant with 8 rooms to house the illegal immigrants employed there.

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craftykhan says...
1:10pm Wed 24 Oct 12

Councillor Shabir Hussain thinks its better to have a restaurant and bedsits at the YMCA building rather than leaving it empty... what a chump...! Haven't we enough bedsits and restaurants in Bradford.. Probably its Mr Hussain's buddy who is behind this magnificent project who no doubt will have some slave labour ready to kick in...

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Albion. says...
1:21pm Wed 24 Oct 12

Bone_idle18 wrote:
It's perfect, a restaurant with 8 rooms to house the illegal immigrants employed there.
And no fire escape?

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Colin Allcars says...
2:49pm Wed 24 Oct 12

does the parking issue mean that those new-fangled traffic wardens can come down from wibsey and issue some tickets in ethnic areas for once?

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Outraged English Subject says...
3:47pm Wed 24 Oct 12

Absolutely ridiculous, how planning was passed is an indictment on Bradford Council. By the way, sadly Wibsey is an ethnic area. I remember lovely walking along Moore Avenue, forlornly no more.

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FP says...
4:18pm Wed 24 Oct 12

The decision to convert this lovely mid 19th century chapel in a conservation area into a restaurant is outrageous. I have been a resident in the little horton area for nearly 24 years. I walk past this beautiful building everyday and admire its architecture as with so many other buildings in its vicinity. I cannot understand the grossly incompetent decision of the council to allow this building to be used as a restaurant in an area of high social deprivation amongst other issues. The T&A has not cited also that there was another planning application proposal to convert the building into a community centre, something which is vital in catering for the needs of the community. Moreover the company behind the develoment has not given any details as to what type of restaurant this is.

RESIDENTS OF LITTLE HORTON DO NOT WANT THIS RESTAURANT!!!

Frank Paley

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Outraged English Subject says...
4:37pm Wed 24 Oct 12

Would the eight bedsits pay council tax each? And the restaurant pays it at business rates. How much would a community centre have to pay in taxes?

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Apollo says...
5:12pm Wed 24 Oct 12

There is no planning and no enforcement in Bradford. Live with it.

This is what happens when the Council cannot even close an illegal bazaar because some councillors support illegality - well at least when they are not fighting in the streets I suppose.

Bradford is a ghetto.

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BertSanders says...
6:18pm Wed 24 Oct 12

Planning is haphazard in Bradford - what will it be like when the new development rights are passed and building will be allowed at the rear of a property without official permission?
A City that cannot even look after its celebrated past Lord Mayor properly - so no hope for the "plebs" . I hear him say " -the best place of all - well perhaps not.

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Colin Allcars says...
7:27pm Wed 24 Oct 12

FP wrote:
The decision to convert this lovely mid 19th century chapel in a conservation area into a restaurant is outrageous. I have been a resident in the little horton area for nearly 24 years. I walk past this beautiful building everyday and admire its architecture as with so many other buildings in its vicinity. I cannot understand the grossly incompetent decision of the council to allow this building to be used as a restaurant in an area of high social deprivation amongst other issues. The T&A has not cited also that there was another planning application proposal to convert the building into a community centre, something which is vital in catering for the needs of the community. Moreover the company behind the develoment has not given any details as to what type of restaurant this is.

RESIDENTS OF LITTLE HORTON DO NOT WANT THIS RESTAURANT!!!

Frank Paley
social deprivation? Is this not in the university ward. These students need to live somewhere, well those few that are English and have moved to Bradford Uni before discovering that if they wanted a Uni life, they've come to the wrong city

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ollie59 says...
8:19pm Wed 24 Oct 12

They can get themselves clean, have a good meal and do whatever they feel. Bradford council don't give a hoot.

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RollandSmoke says...
9:48pm Wed 24 Oct 12

The history of this Building indicates it's purpose is to serve the interests of the community not the interests of property developers, landlords and restauranters. If the builders of this fine architectural building knew that it would become just another place of business would they have given it as much thought or gone to the same expense. Sure there's a profit to be made from our dwindling heritage but this isn't the way to do it.

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Visit Bradford, ratherstickneedlesineyes says...
10:48pm Wed 24 Oct 12

Bradford is dead and buried! The council couldn't pull in a brothel......oh wait, eight new bedsits!!!

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allannicho says...
6:42am Thu 25 Oct 12

Remember in the 50.s and 60,s this was a hub of activity for young people.
It housed various clubs such as Judo, Table Tennis teams,etc.
I myself was proud to be in the Boy Scouts there with our distinctive black
kerchiefs with red YMCA badge.
Sad to see all these vistige,s of Bradford
like ST. Mary,s Church etc gone forever
to be replaced by what?

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Bone_idle18 says...
9:40am Thu 25 Oct 12

won't belong before the whole ground floor will have smoked glass plate windows and shutters and a gaudy black and gold sign or maybe neon! The pavements will be clogged with 4x4's and Beemers, don't bother trying to get a pram or pushchair through, you'll have to risk walking in the main road to get past.

If it hosts weddings, expect doubly/triple parking, roads blocked and chaos.

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Patrick Bateman says...
2:55pm Thu 25 Oct 12

RollandSmoke wrote:
The history of this Building indicates it's purpose is to serve the interests of the community not the interests of property developers, landlords and restauranters. If the builders of this fine architectural building knew that it would become just another place of business would they have given it as much thought or gone to the same expense. Sure there's a profit to be made from our dwindling heritage but this isn't the way to do it.
Good post Rolly: the first of many I hope!

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Colin Allcars says...
5:08pm Thu 25 Oct 12

Bone_idle18 wrote:
won't belong before the whole ground floor will have smoked glass plate windows and shutters and a gaudy black and gold sign or maybe neon! The pavements will be clogged with 4x4's and Beemers, don't bother trying to get a pram or pushchair through, you'll have to risk walking in the main road to get past.

If it hosts weddings, expect doubly/triple parking, roads blocked and chaos.
Don't forget bad taste steel fencing with golden arrows, electric gates and even a mail box. built into the outer wall.
And they talk about intergration, more like deliberate segregation with Pakistaniesque compounds

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