BRADFORD Council is losing its battle to rid the district of externally-mounted metal roller shutters after the government upheld appeals by two businesses.

Sahara Pharmacy in Duckworth Lane and an as yet unopened shop on Leeds Old Road, appealed decisions by the Council to reject planning applications for externally-mounted roller shutters.

The appeals were upheld by the Planning Inspectorate, which said of both matters: “The appeal is allowed, the enforcement notice is quashed and planning permission is granted.”

It also said there was “insufficient justification to withhold planning permission for the shutters”.

The Council’s rules are that premises can have internal shutters with holes in them. The authority failed to respond to a request for a comment from the Telegraph & Argus.

Sahara Pharmacy, co-owned by Ajmal Amin and Atique Rafiq, can now go ahead with plans to install “externally-mounted roller shutters with shutter boxes and guide rails” at the front, side and rear of the building.

Mr Amin said: “We are very happy with the decision from the Planning Inspectorate. We are a local independent pharmacy providing an essential late night NHS pharmacy service.

“We would like to thank the local community, our customers, councillors and MP Naz Shah for their support during this process. We are pleased that the Planning Inspectorate has taken a common sense approach to this case, taking into account our provision of NHS pharmacy services and regulatory security needs.”

Mr Rafiq said of the Council’s handling of the matter: “It has been horrendous to be honest. They just do not budge or listen to anything. From start to finish they have taken us all the way.”

He added: “It is as simple as ABC - we are a pharmacy, we need to protect our drugs.”

The business premises at 25 Leeds Old Road can now have five externally-mounted shutters installed.

One of the reasons given by the Planning Inspectorate for overturning the Council decision was the problems the business would have had installing internal shutters.

It said: “This is small corner shop. The structural measures required to install effective internal security shutters and the loss of retail space that would occur make it unlikely that the Council’s stance is a practical proposition in this instance.”

Meanwhile, the Council has rejected an application from the Rose and Crown pub on Westgate, Bradford, to install external roller shutters over windows on the side of the building.

The Council refused because the shutters would “materially detract from the appearance of the host building” and have an “adverse effect” on the wider street scene.