A LONG running planning wrangle over a town centre taxi office seems to finally be over.

At the first planning meeting since lockdown began, Councillors approved plans for a new taxi office in Baildon.

It is the new base for Baildon Private Hire, a company that has operated in the town for 40 years.

The decision brings to an end a planning saga that has gone through many twists and turns since plans were first submitted in April 2019.

The application had originally been recommended for refusal by planning officers, but last summer Bradford Council’s Keighley and Shipley Area Planning Panel members went against recommendations and approved the plans.

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The office was built and began operating as the company’s base in September.

But in the meantime, objectors to the scheme had lodged a Judicial Review against the Council’s decision, which proved to be successful - quashing the original planning approval.

This meant the application had to go back before the Council, and was due to be heard at a meeting in March.

However, this meeting was cancelled due to the then emerging Coronavirus pandemic.

It finally came before the Council’s Regulatory and Appeals Committee at an online meeting yesterday - where the plans were approved.

Officers said that in the eight months the business has been operating from the location there have been no issues, and the concerns raised by numerous objectors to the plans have not materialised.

They pointed out that the days where people visited taxi offices to book a car were in the past, and now the vast majority of taxi bookings were done by mobile phone or by an app.

This meant the office was unlikely to attract large amounts of physical customers.

Speaking in support of the plans, Baildon Town Councillor Maggie Town said: “Baildon Taxis have been in the town for nearly 40 years, have 24 cars and employ 30 local people.

“They take elderly residents to the doctors and dentists. Nothing is too much trouble for them. They are trusted by the community.

“They are particularly important as we face a lack of transport due to Covid 19.

“It would be a sad, sad day if we lost Baildon Taxis from the village centre.”

She described the new building as “lovely.”

Baildon Councillor Debbie Davies (Cons) had written to the Committee to support the scheme, saying the new location was better and safer than the company’s previous base - a short distance away.

Jo Steele, representing the objectors, argued that little had changed since July, when the plans had been recommended for refusal. He also claimed the office caused harm to the town’s Conservation Area.

Councillor Alan Wainwright (Lab, Tong) said: “Having heard the Town Council and a Baildon Councillor speak glowingly of this business, I’m moved to approve it.”

The Committee then unanimously approved the plans.