Planners approve amended DIY store and takeaway scheme in Baildon (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)
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Planners approve amended DIY store and takeaway scheme in Baildon
9:00am Friday 22nd February 2013 in News
By Jo Winrow, City Hall Reporter
Amended plans to build a takeaway and DIY superstore in Baildon have been passed by Bradford Council planners, despite objections about the extra traffic on already congested roads.
The initial proposals had drawn opposition from Baildon Parish Council and a number of residents and businesses.
So Commercial Development Projects withdrew its plans for a 2.357 sq m Wickes store and a 328 sq m KFC on the Lower Holme Mills site, off Otley Road, before Christmas. This was despite Council planning officers recommending the scheme be approved.
Amendments have involved changes to the parking layout, as well as an agreement that the KFC would close at midnight, rather than the original planned time of 1am.
The parish council revised its opposition as long as the midnight condition was in place, as well as a condition regarding its impact on Otley Road during construction.
Three members of the six-strong regulatory and appeals committee voted for the plans yesterday, while two abstained and one objected.
Councillor Shabir Hussain (Lab, Manningham) and chairman of the committee, Councillor David Warburton (Lab, Wyke) spoke of the improved junction which would help cut congestion and the need for this long-empty site to be regenerated, following a chequered planning history.
Councillor Val Townend (Con, Baildon) spoke out against the scheme at the meeting. She said there were already lengthy tailbacks at the junction during rush hour, showing that the junction cannot cope with the existing traffic. She added that recent applications for supermarkets in the area would also have a knock-on effect on local traffic if they were passed.
Plans for a major housing scheme on the edge of Keighley have been deferred as councillors called for more detail on highways and drainage issues before they could make a decision.
Bradford Council planning officers had recommended the outline plans for up to 135 homes off Shann Lane, saying it was an appropriate development of the site.
