PLANS to flatten an eyesore pub and build an apartment building in its place have been refused by Bradford Council - over three years after they were first submitted.

The proposals would have seen the derelict New Inn on Manchester Road demolished to make way for a development of 16 one bed flats.

But planners have refused the scheme, submitted by Dharmesh Patel in June 2016, saying the flats would provide “inadequate living space” for future residents and be “detrimental to the appearance of the area.”

Some of the flats would be just 30 square metres, which mean they would fall “well below” Government set standards for living space.

However - a decision on a separate application for the same site, that would see the pub demolished to make way for a light industrial estate, is still yet to be decided by Bradford Council.

The pub, now little more than a crumbling shell, has been vacant for over a decade, and received notoriety as one of the city’s biggest eyesores.

Eyesore pub could be demolished to make way for industrial units

The 2016 planning application said the building would require “a great amount of remedial works to the roof and rebuilding of external and internal walls that it becomes unfeasible to develop.”

It said the replacement building would be four storeys tall and that future residents would be “young professionals and students.”

This week the plan was refused, 41 months after being submitted. Planning officers had raised concerns about how car would access the building, the appearance of the planned apartment block and the size of the flats.

The refusal said: “The proposed residential units include very limited internal space, ranging between 30

to 33sqm, and poor layout, with some units including only one window, with no meaningful outdoor amenity space for residents.

“The proposed internal space falls well below the Government’s Nationally Described Space Standards, which are contained within the Council’s emerging Homes and Neighbourhoods Supplementary Planning Document, and the residential units are considered to provide inadequate living conditions for future residents.”

Referring to the appearance of the building they add: “The proposed development would appear visually dominant and detrimental to the appearance of the area, where the site is directly adjacent to a busy transport route. The scale and design of the building does not satisfactorily relate to the surroundings, does not present active elevations to the highway frontages, and would result in a visually prominent and intrusive feature in the local area.”

The Telegraph & Argus asked Bradford Council why the application had taken so long to decide. A spokesman said: "Our planning service has offered advice to the applicant on issues concerning this planning application, but after a significant period of time they have not made the changes needed to the scheme.”
 

In February Bradford Trident submitted an application for the site of the pub and the surrounding land.

It would see the pub flattened and 11 industrial starter units built on the site.

It says although the pub is not owned by Trident, they have informed the owners of their plans.

A decision on the application was due in May, but planners are yet to have the final say on the plans.