THE chair of a planning committee has suggested that Bradford Council write to residents in some areas of the city to advise them on what is and what is not allowed through the planning process.

Councillor David Warburton (Lab, Wyke) made the comments during a meeting of the Regulatory and Appeals Committee on Thursday, when members were being asked to decide on a retrospective application for dormer windows on 8 Highfield Place, Manningham.

Members heard that dormer windows were installed on the property, and a roof extension was built, without planning permission several years ago.

Enforcement action was started by the Council in 2016.

Since then there had been a failed appeal and a new retrospective planning application.

Thursday’s meeting was to discuss the latest application, by Amarazun Bibi, which would allow two of the dormers and the roof extension to be retained.

Planning officers told members the house was in the St Pauls Conservation Area of Manningham - which means works to alter buildings come under much more scrutiny.

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

Council conservation officers had said the latest application for the dormers would “be harmful to the character and appearance of the conservation area with no public benefits to outweigh the harm.”

A report to the committee said the dormers were “poorly designed” and urged members to refuse the plans.

The planning officers had made suggestions on how to make some of the work acceptable, but they had not taken them up on the offer.

Councillor Mohammed Amran (Lab, Heaton) said the applicants had most likely been misled by the builders and told that the work did not need planning permission. He suggested the plans be approved.

Chair David Warburton (Lab, Wyke) said: "It might be handy for the Council to send out a newsletter to identify these problems and let people be made aware of planning rules and regulations.

"This has been unauthorised since 2016, it is now November 2020. They have had four years to do something about this."

Councillor Alan Wainwright (Lab, Tong) said: "This house is in a Conservation Area, and people should know that. If they are unhappy with the builders and think they have got bad advice then they should take them to court."

Councillor Russell Brown (Cons, Worth Valley) said: "Officers have offered reasonable alternatives. If this was allowed it would be seen as a precedent."

Councillor Rosie Watson (Lab, Wyke) said: "I do feel sorry for the people concerned. Dormers and extensions are the biggest problems that come to planning committees.

"We have a policy in place and we need to stick to that, we can't keep letting people put up dormers that go against policy. We can't say 'in this one case it's ok.'

"This has gone on for four years. They had an appeal and they lost it. There is no point us having a planning policy if we are not going to follow it."

The Committee then refused the plans.