PROPOSALS by US pizza chain Papa John’s to open a branch in Queensbury have become one of the most high profile schemes to fall foul of Bradford Council’s take away planning policies.

Late last year the company submitted a planning application to convert an empty unit in Queensbury Court - the former Royal Eastern Restaurant, into a hot food take away.

But that application has now been refused by Bradford Council, with planning officers saying the take away, in Unit 2, will be too close to a park and the village’s leisure facilities.

In 2014 Bradford Council introduced a new planning policy for new take aways in the district.

One aim of the policy was to reduce childhood obesity by preventing take aways from opening a short distance from schools or other areas children would frequent, such as leisure centres and play areas.

It states that plans for a new take away business should be refused if the business would fall within 400 metres of such a facility.

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It would not require take aways operating before the policy was introduced to shut - and exceptions would be made for take aways in “local centres” - areas established as city centres or town centres.

Refusing the plans for Papa Johns, planning officers said the business would be based within 400 metres of Littlemoor Park, a gym and Queensbury Pool.

They also raised concerns about parking at the site - saying a business of this size would require more than the three parking spaces set aside in the plans.

The unit was once a single restaurant. In 2014, before the take away policy was introduced, an application to divide it into a take away and two shops was approved by Bradford Council.

There is already a take away based at Queensbury Court, the one approved before the new policy was introduced, and the other unit has become a restaurant.

Unit 2 has been empty since the building was converted.

Planning officers said: “The application site is within 400m of Littlemoor Park, a Gym and Queensbury Swimming Pool.

“This would not comply with the Councils Hot Food Takeaways supplementary planning document and would undermine one of the key objectives of the policy, which aims to minimise the negative impacts of takeaways on childhood health by controlling the proximity of new takeaways to children and youth centred facilities.”

Referring to the parking at the site, planning officers added: “It is envisaged that customers for the proposed hot food takeaway use are likely to park short term illegally, due to a significant shortfall in the proposed off-street parking provisions, where parking restrictions are in place along Brighouse Road.

“This situation can result in unsuitable and potentially dangerous parking within the highway to the detriment of the safety of pedestrians, motorists and other highway users and affecting the safe and free flow of traffic, along Brighouse Road.”