A POPULAR Bradford venue has been ordered to remove marquees used to host major events and weddings.

But the pub’s the owner has vowed to return with new plans for the site.

Last year, Bradford Council issued an enforcement notice against the 6 Acres, on the border of Tong and Drighlington, calling for two large marquees behind the pub that had been installed without proper planning permission, to be removed.

The Marquees are known as The View - a wedding and events venue that in recent years has welcomed celebrities such as boxer Tyson Fury, Phil Taylor and Sir Ranulph Fiennes.

The owners of the pub lodged an appeal against that enforcement notice, but earlier this month, over a year after the enforcement notice was issued, that appeal failed.

Plans dispute over marquees on battlefield at The 6 Acres pub

It means the existing marquees have to be removed from the site within a month. And a number of wedding receptions and events have been cancelled as a result of the decision.

The operation of the pub will not be affected.

Bradford Council began the enforcement action after a complaint over the marquees.

Officers said there was no planning permission for the development - which fell within Adwalton Moor - the site of a key Civil War battle.

They also raised concerns about noise coming from the marquees - particularly from events that ran late into the night.

The enforcement notice called for the business to “remove from the land all marquees, plastic turf, equipment and materials associated with the unauthorised use of the land.”

The owners appealed this enforcement notice, and The View was allowed to continue operating until the appeal decision was made.

A retrospective application for the marquees was also submitted, but that was refused by the Council last Summer. And last week a government planning inspector dismissed the appeal against the enforcement notice - meaning the site now has to be cleared and restored.

Tony Lumb owns the 6 Acres, as well as numerous other bars in Yorkshire, and said he was bitterly disappointed with the decision.

He is planning to submit a new planning application for a replacement marquee in a slightly different area of the pub site, and plans to start a petition to gather support for the business to return.

He said the bigger events at The View, such as An Evening With Tyson Fury, were staffed by around 20 people.

He told The Telegraph & Argus: “I own 18 pubs and employ 260 people.

“I’ve been here 16 years and have a brilliant relationship with most of the neighbours.

“Other than the one complaint, we haven’t had any other complaints. The area was in need of something. We’ve been doing lots of events, and we’ve done some Asian weddings recently. It shows there is a need for a business like this. We’ve not had any trouble here. I can’t understand how the Council can say no to a thriving business that is providing jobs to the community.

“We’ve had charity events and boxing events to help get young kids off the streets.”

He said the site of the marquees had previously been used for bonfire events that attracted up to 4,000 people, as well as a gathering of around 1,000 bikers.

There had been just one neighbour who had complained about the marquees - he told the Telegraph & Argus.

One of the main reasons for the marquees being refused was the fact that the land had been designated as a historic battlefield. The Battlefields Trust says the land is a “nationally important” historic site.

In 1643 Adwalton Moor was the scene of a major Civil War battle between 10,000 men led by the Earl of Newcastle and 4,000 men led by the Fairfax family, who were attempting to defend Bradford from a Royalist advance. The battle is considered one of the most significant Civil War battles in the North.

But Mr Lumb is sceptical about claims that the land he owns falls within that battlefield site.

He said: “It’s a load of rubbish. I’ve never seen any evidence this was part of the battlefield. I haven’t been shown any evidence.

“I’m trying to get a petition going, because a lot of people think this is totally wrong. I’ll be doing a petition because a lot of people are unhappy about the decision. I don’t think we really should have to remove this, but we’re going to be putting another scheme in.

“I drive around Bradford and I see a lot of empty and decaying buildings. I’m wanting to spend money on improving an area of the city. I could understand if it was an eyesore, but it isn’t. I put a lot of effort in to build a business and something like this makes me wonder why I bother. Do they not want entrepreneurs to employ people? It’s such a shame.”

Mr Lumb said just one person had objected to the scheme, raising concerns about noise from the venue as well as impact to the historic battlefield, and believes the majority of people in the area are supportive of the business.

He said he had not realised that planning permission would be needed for wedding marquees on the land, which he says is fully licensed for weddings.

The company that runs 6 Acres L&C Leisure, has written to a number of couples to inform them their events have been cancelled, offering them refunds and help finding a replacement venue.

Mr Lumb said they had hoped that they would be allowed to honour their existing commitments if the appeal was lost, but this had not been the case. The venue had not held a wedding fair last Summer, he said.

On the appeal being refused, a Bradford Council spokesperson, said: “This enforcement action requires the removal of the two marques. Following legal action the Council looks forward to seeing them removed from site. Should the owner wish to submit a further planning application, we will of course deal with that on its own merits.”