A PROPOSED exhibition and events venue could impact Bradford’s future waste policies - top Council officers claim.

Next week Councillors will decide whether to approve an application for a multi million pound event/exhibition venue and a series of ten industrial and warehousing units, and 188 parking spaces at the Princeville Industrial Estate, off Ingleby Road.

The plans were first submitted by Ingleby Developments in November 2018. Next Thursday - over 15 months after the application was submitted, Bradford Council will finally make a decision on the plans.

Members of the Regulatory and Appeals Committee will be advised to refuse the plans - as the land has been allocated as a potential future waste management site.

The site was previously occupied by Alston Mills wool combing plant, and has been empty since 1983 when the buildings were demolished.

When first announced, the applicants said the venue would "create a unique destination for individuals and businesses from around the UK to host events, exhibitions and wedding functions, which in turn is hoped to improve the local economy and help in the further regeneration of the city."

Ingleby Developments is a subsidiary company of Iqbal Catering Limited who describe themselves as the "Northern premier Asian wedding caterers."

The events space would have capacity for 900 people.

New events venue would 'prejudice future waste management plans'

The company says existing events venues in Bradford have limited parking space, and the application adds: "The event venue will not only provide state of the art spaces and facilities, it will also address many of the concerns around capacity and security with onsite traffic and security marshals."

However, a report going to the committee next Thursday points out that the land was allocated as a "waste management site" in the Council's Waste Management Development Planning Document in 2017.

Future uses of the site could include "enclosed recycling activity; mechanical biological treatment; clean material reclamation facility, dirty material reclamation facility and anaerobic digestion" - according to the Council.

The possible loss of the potential waste site to this development is once reason the application should be refused - Committee members will be told.

They will also be told that developments like event/exhibition venues should ideally be located in city or town centre locations.

Giving feedback to the plans, Stewart Currie, Senior Planner, has said: "Given the site the application is for a non-waste use it would result in the loss of this allocated site for any potential future waste management facility.

"The Waste Management DPD policy framework looks to safeguard the allocated sites and will resist the loss of these."

A petition signed by over 100 people has been submitted to the Council, supporting the site's use as an events venue, and opposing its use as a waste management site.

Because the land has been allocated as waste management use, the Committee will be told that if they approve the plans the decision would have to be referred to the Secretary of State.

Officers have recommended the plans be refused, saying the development would be: "prejudicial to ensuring the District has sufficient and appropriate waste infrastructure for self-sufficiency in waste management."

The committee meets in City Hall next Thursday at 10am.