Plan for new nightclub on Bradford's oldest street is approved

The new club will be based in a former charity shop and nail salon on Ivegate, and will be the latest in a series of bars to open on the street in recent years.

But plans for an outdoor seating area in front of the new club were scrapped after Conservation Officers raised concerns that it would “disrupt appreciation of (Ivegate’s) character.”

Kensington-based Hosted Development Ltd submitted the application to convert the currently empty 31 Ivegate into a bar/restaurant and nightclub last year.

The application has now been approved by Bradford Council, with officers saying the business will “contribute to the city centre’s night time economy.”

But the Council has already started enforcement action over works to the front of the building that were carried out without planning permission.

The plans showed that the club will be based over two floors – the ground floor and basement.

The business will open from 9am to 4am – operating as a café/restaurant in the day.

Ivegate sits within a Conservation Area, and this led to concerns about an early aspect of the application – a decked area planned for the front of the building.

Conservation Officer Jon Ackroyd said “Such a feature would be visually intrusive in the street and would interrupt views up and down the street, disrupting appreciation of its character.

“The feature will not be sympathetic or acceptable in this location, and would cause harm to conservation area character.”

After these concerns were raised, the outdoor area was dropped from the application.

A number of bars have opened on Ivegate in recent years, including Visage, Drum Winder and The Crown, which recently re-branded as a sports bar.

Approving the development this week, planning officers said despite the influx of bars, the new club would not harm Ivegate’s standing as a shopping street. Officers said: “Although there are existing drinking establishments within the vicinity, Ivegate continues to have a predominantly retail character and the proposed change of use would not result in a concentration of non-retail uses.

“The proposal would maintain the commercial nature of the building without detriment to the general vitality and viability of the wider primary shopping area and it would contribute to the night time economy within in the City Centre conservation area, thereby would assist in its maintenance and preservation.

“The opening times are such that the proposal will remain active in the day, supporting the primary function of the shopping centre.”