PLANS for a "prestige" car wash in a Bradford Conservation Area have been refused.

In April an application to allow Unit 1 at Back Mount Royd, off Manningham Lane, to be converted from a private garage to a valeting and car wash business was submitted to Bradford Council.

The application came after an enforcement notice issued by the Council claiming the business was operating at the site, in the St Pauls Conservation Area, without planning permission.

Submitted by Umar Mohammed, the plan said the business would operate on an appointment basis, and only one car would be on site at a time.

It added: "The cars to be cleaned are prestige high value and will not be stored outside for safety."

The plans led to 10 objections being sent to the Council, raising issues from noise to an increase in traffic.

Retrospective plans for dormer on listed, Haworth Conservation Area building are refused

And Bradford Civic Society also objected to the plans, saying: "Back Mount Royd is remarkable for being a quiet and dignified residential area, providing respite from the nearby busy inner-city thoroughfares of Manningham. 

"The change of usage from residential garage to hand car-wash undermines the unique setting of this conservation area and the adjacent listed buildings. It will encourage traffic and risks increased noise pollution - particularly for residents in adjacent Cartwright Hotel."

Mount Royd is a collection of Victorian Villas which date back to the 1860s.

The Council's Conservation Officer Jon Ackroyd also raised concerns, saying: "The use is incompatible with the domestic character and the historic significance. A commercial use here of any scale is unacceptable in principle."

Planning officers have refused the application, saying it would increase the use of the "substandard" road, which leads to busy Manningham Lane.

They said: "The proposal would lead to the increased use of a substandard access with restricted visibility on to a classified road (A650). This in turn would create a detriment to highway and pedestrian safety."

They also said there was not enough information on the number of appointments the business would run a day, and where cars would park if appointments overlapped.