COUNCILLORS have voted to refuse plans to build houses on a plot of land in Wyke.

A report to members of Bradford Council’s Bradford Planning Panel had advised them to approve the application for five homes South of Brick Row.

But at an online meeting of the Panel on Wednesday, officers reversed their recommendation – suggesting that the plans, by the Stott family, now be refused.

The change of heart came after it emerged that one of the neighbouring homes had a bedroom window that would face onto one of the properties, harming the privacy of the house and future residents of the proposed homes.

Planning officers had initially thought this was a window of a non-habitable room, such as a hallway.

The committee was told that the window situation had only emerged after a report to the committee had been written.

As the meeting progressed it emerged that the Council had been informed of the window situation as far back as 2018.

Planning officers said this information had not been properly communicated to them until days before the meeting.

The application was for the grassed land to the South of 4 To 16 Brick Row. First submitted in 2018, the application would see five houses built on the site – a two house block and a three house block.

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Councillor David Warburton (Lab, Wyke) appeared at the meeting to speak on behalf of the numerous objectors to the plans. He said that even without the issue of the window, residents of the area felt there were problems with the housing plan.

He said: “This is an overdevelopment of a restricted area.”

Referring to the window issue, planning officer Amin Ibrar said: “It should have been picked up sooner – it was perhaps overlooked by the case officer.”

Members were told that the original officer working on the case had left the Council before any decision had been made on the application.

Councillor Rosie Watson said: “This scheme doesn’t seem right to me.”

Members voted to refuse the application due to the window issue and concerns over the extra traffic the development would add to a narrow road network around the site.