A CONTROVERSIAL Chai tea café has had yet another application to extend its hours into the early morning declined.

Chaii Wali, on Little Horton Lane, submitted plans to Bradford Council to push back its closing time from 11pm to 1am.

This was bizarrely put in alongside a separate licensing application to extend the hours until 2am.

That was refused by the licensing panel back at the start of June.

The planning application was also declined at a Bradford Area Planning Panel Meeting last Wednesday, after planning officers had recommended it to be turned down.

The planning officer presenting the application explained the café was an open frontage serving counter that allowed people to come up, get their order and not sit inside.

He said: "There are other businesses like this in the district that have caused problems."

The nearest residents to the café are those living in a flat above the Coral bookmakers shop a few metres away.

The panel heard how there have been complaints about noise, from the cars that park and get refreshments from Chaii Wali, including load music.

The planning officer said: "The 11pm finish is not being adhered to, to date.

"A recent licensing application was refused, seeking to go to 2am - the extra hour was for cleaning.

"I'm not sure they would finish at 1am."

A representative for the applicant said the business employs 20 people, who were kept on throughout the pandemic, without the employer using the available support from the council.

He accepted the operation of the kiosk had caused issues, but outlined this was removed in May - "it does not exist".

This is something that was also established at the meeting where the licence for a 2am closing time was denied.

The café initially opened in a kiosk in the car park of Aunt Betty's fish and chip shop in Summer 2019, but the business now operates in the chip shop unit.

A Ward councillor was expected at the meeting to offer representation, but they did not appear.

There were 24 people in favour of the planning application, but many of these were from outside of the area where the café is.

There were two objections - who the representative claimed were from the same household - and an objection from an Environmental Health officer.

They visited and identified the noise was coming from Chaii Wali and the issue mainly related to the parking area.

This remains a complex issue, with the planning officer explaining the car park is partly owned by Northern Power Grid and the applicant, but the representative claims the whole car park is owned by the applicant.

The previous licensing decision was made partly on the basis of an Environmental Health report, but the representative disputed the findings and said the applicant had conducted their own acoustic report which was freely available to the public.

The representative said: "Many late customers are frontline staff, who work at the hospital and for police."

The representative also argued that there are nine car parking spaces at the garage opposite the site, which shuts at 5pm, that the café's customers can use, as well as five spots at a printing shop down the road, which also closes at 5pm.

But, the planning officer outlined there is no legal agreement in place for parking elsewhere and said it would simply be moving the problem to other residents.

The panel decided to refuse the application, while Councillor Kyle Green (Ilkley, Con) abstained from voting, due to the absence of the Ward councillor.