A NEW cafe in a converted shipping container on Leeds Road would “provide a poor impression of Bradford” to visitors, according to planning officers.

Bradford Council this week refused a planning application for a new container cafe on a car park site between Papa Cash and Carry and St Mary’s and St Peter’s Primary School.

H Rana submitted the application, saying the business would be take away only and open from 9am to 11.30pm. The container would be clad in timber.

Part of the site appears to have already been dug up, and a shipping container has been located on the rear of the car park for some time.

The application said a number of parking spaces in the car park would be retained, despite the cafe being located on the site.

There had been objections to the plan from the neighbouring school, with concerns raised that the cafe would lead to increased traffic and litter around the school.

Planning officers said: “The proposal seeks to install a shipping container on one of the busiest arterial routes into the city centre.

“There are a wide variety of building designs along Leeds Road including high quality traditional buildings and other contemporary structures, providing diversity by design. This site is sandwiched between two relatively traditional properties, the school of which is of very high visual quality.

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“This shipping container although altered from its original utilitarian function, does not have much design merit and is not informed by a good understanding of the scale of development in this location.

“The timber cladding is likely to appear out of place, given the design of the buildings either side of this structure which are predominantly stone.

“Overall the materials proposed and prominent siting will draw attention to the structure’s poor design, which is not informed by a good understanding of the site or its context, pays little respect to the existing built development and is in stark contrast to the high quality buildings surrounding it.

“On this important arterial route into the city centre this poor design will provide a poor impression of the city to a large number of people, resulting in significant harm to the built environment.”

They also raised concerns over the “intensification” of a car park on one of Bradford’s busiest streets. Highways officers said: “Onstreet parking is heavily contested in this location and there is insufficient information to demonstrate that the existing level of parking is enough to accommodate both the use of the existing cash and carry and the proposed use here.”

Officers also said there was no detail in the application about where bins would be stored.

It is the latest in a string of applications for container cafes on Leeds Road to have been refused by Bradford Council.

A retrospective application for Dudh Pathi, a converted container in a car park area at 935 Leeds Road, was refused earlier this month, with planning officers criticising its “poor design” and claiming the business could jeopardise planned developments on the same site.

And two retrospective applications for a Chai cafe in the Orange Street car park have been refused. Those decisions are currently being appealed.