CONTROVERSIAL proposals to turn a Bradford pub into shops and flats have been approved by Bradford Council after being amended to better reflect the building’s heritage.

Last May a retrospective application to convert the Black Swan on Thornton Road into shops and eight flats was refused by planning officers amid claims the changes had lead to the “destruction” of the building’s traditional appearance.

The 19th Century pub, in the Goitside Conservation Area of the city centre, was a popular live music venue until 2019 when it shut.

Work to convert the ground floor into shops began early last year - without any planning permission in place.

This meant many of the proposed works, including new shop fronts, had been carried out before the application had even been submitted.

Responding to those plans at the time, Conservation Officer Jon Ackroyd said: “Until the recent destruction of the ground floor frontage of the building, it displayed a traditional appearance, with windows and doors divided by pilasters and capped by a prominent cornice.

“The proposals cause harm to the conservation area with no balancing public benefit.”

He said the pub in its original form had “made a positive contribution to the traditional mix of industrial and commercial premises in the conservation area.”

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Planning officers also raised concerns about the eight flats that would have been created in the building - pointing out that bedrooms of some flats would have “no access to natural light or ventilation.”

The Goitside Conservation Area includes a large area between Sunbridge Road and Thornton Road. The designation gives extra protection for buildings against being demolished or altered.

In October the applicant behind the first application Mr Usman submitted another application for the building.

This latest plan included a slightly different design to the already created shop fronts, and reduced the number of flats from eight to five larger flats.

Mr Ackroyd said the planned changes to the shop frontage reversed some of the damage caused by the unauthorised work last year.

He added: “The proposals appear to show retention or reinstatement of the pilasters and cornice, which will be imperative in order to maintain the character of the conservation area.”

The report recognises the reduction in the number of flats, saying: “This does improve the layout, and following further revisions five suitably sized flats are created that meet the minimum spacing standards.”

Referring to the design of the shops in the new plans, the report said: “Following a number of revisions and the addition of additional traditional detailing to the proposed shop fronts the scheme has met the approval of the Design and Conservation Officer who is now satisfied that the scheme will preserve the amenity of the conservation area.

“The proposed shop fronts include the detailing and layout that would be expected of a traditional shop front in this visually prominent location.”

The approval means that the existing frontages will have to be altered for the application to be valid.

Conditions of the approval include that the shops can only open between 8am and 7pm on Mondays to Saturdays and 10am to 4pm on Sundays.

And any roller shutters on the shop would have to be internal.