CONTROVERSIAL proposals to knock down Holme Wood Social Club and build shops in its place have been delivered another huge blow - this time by a Government planning inspector.

Local Councillors have expressed "delight" at news that an appeal to build a Heron Foods and three other shops on the Broadstone Way site of the club has this week been dismissed.

And they now hope the decision can help kick start work to develop Holme Wood that was first proposed in 2012.

A committee of Councillors refused the application last summer, saying the development could be detrimental to the existing shops in the area. They said the application did little to refer to the Holme Wood and Tong Neighbourhood Development Plan - a document drawn up in 2012 to regenerate the area.

At the meeting Bradford Council was heavily criticised for failing to follow up on this regeneration plan.

Applicant J Cordingley of Crag Investments appealed the decision late last year, disputing claims the shops would harm the vitality of other areas of Holme Wood.

But on Wednesday Planning Inspector Graham Wraight dismissed that appeal.

He said the application gave no indication as to whether any other sites in the area had been considered for the retail development, or consideration of the impact on existing businesses.

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His decision said: "Reference is also made to there not being a convenience store in the Local Centre however there appears to be a trading convenience store present at the current time.

"The appellant’s statement of case offers assumptions that the convenience food store would increase footfall to the Local Centre, but there is no evidence in this regard nor reference to the other three retail units that are proposed in terms of their impact or relationship to the Local Centre.

"Therefore, on the basis of the information I have before me, it is not possible to determine whether there are sequentially preferable locations within the Local Centre that the proposed development, or elements of it, could be located, nor what the impact would be upon its vitality and viability."

The application has gone through an unusual process to get to this stage.

First revealed in early 2020, the plans caused uproar among many residents, who claimed the loss of the pub would be a major blow to the local community.

However, the application was approved by the Council’s Regulatory and Appeals Committee in June.

But in August the Committee took the unusual decision to bring the application back so members could re-assess their decision.

It came after Tong Councillor Michael Johnson raised concerns that when the plans were first discussed, members had not taken into account the Tong and Holme Wood Neighbourhood plan - a document dating back to 2012 that planned out future development in the area.

After the second debate, members voted to refuse the plans due to the impact the new shops would have on the viability of existing shops in the area - which the neighbourhood plan says should be refurbished and expanded.

Earlier this month Bradford Council began consultation on its Local Plan - which set out future development across the District.

That plan incorporates aspects of the Holme Wood and Tong Neighbourhood Plan.

After news the appeal had been dismissed, Councillor Johnson said: “I’m delighted the appeal to the Planning Inspectorate has been refused.

“I submitted a statement against the appeal as, in my view, it went against the Holme Wood and Tong Neighbourhood Development Plan.

“The Plan’s aim is to make sure Holme Wood is a sustainable community. The planning application was detrimental to the sustainable development of Holme Wood.

“I will be lobbying the Council to get on with the delivery of the Holme Wood and Tong Neighbourhood Development Plan which was endorsed by the Council has far back as January 2012.

“A good start would be for the Council to commission the building of a new Neighbourhood Centre and convenience store on the site of the bottom shops bounded by Holme Wood Road and Broadstone Way.”

Councillor Alan Wainwright (Lab Tong) was on the committee that refused the plans. He said: "The inspector quite rightly has recognised the hard work done years ago by the Holme Wood and Tong partnership board who as part of the plan was for a building in the centre of Holme Wood to provide the many services needed in the area for residents.

"The executive last September recognised the need for these services by allocating £1.4 million to renovate the TFD Centre to allow for the current users and some 40 plus people from Council departments, the NHS and others .

Tong Councillors are now hopeful that the plans approved in 2012 can be kick started in the very near future."

Matt Edwards, who represents the Green Party and has campaigned on a number of issues in Holme Wood, said: “Holme Wood desperately needs new retail businesses in the estate but it would have been an absolute waste to demolish a building which houses one of the few established businesses in the area.

“Speaking to residents and seeing the comments on social media I know that a lot of people have many good memories of the social club and I have no doubt that it will continue to be part of the future of the estate.

“It’s good to see that the Local Plan being proposed will finally address Bradford Council’s failure to properly adopt the Neighbourhood Plan from 10 years ago, which has meant this one planning application has been such a long drawn out affair.”