New lease of life for 'high quality heritage asset' approved

Bradford Council has this week granted planning permission for the conversion of the ground floor of Sunwin House – a former Co-operative building in the city centre that will be known to most Bradfordians as the old TJ Hughes store.

While many will remember the Sunbridge Road building from shopping trips to the city, the new plan will see uses such as trampolining, indoor golf and virtual reality activities on the ground floor.

The plans also include a café, consultation room for a health/nutrition specialist and a physiotherapy treatment room.

Built in the 1930s as a Co-operative emporium, the art deco building has since been awarded a Grade II listing.

But it has been vacant for 11 years, and the ground floor is now boarded up and covered in graffiti.

The door at Sunwin House

The business will be called G.O.A.T Gaming, and it is hoped it will bring footfall to an area of the city centre with numerous empty units.

A decision on the application, by Nusra Ali, was made by Bradford Council’s Bradford Area Planning Panel on Wednesday – when members unanimously approved the regeneration scheme.

Planning officers told members there had been objections to the plans – but many of these related to the competition the new business would provide to existing leisure uses in the city.

Members were told that healthy competition in a city centre was not a good reason to refuse an application.

Councillor Si Cunningham (Lab, Bolton and Undercliffe) said the building was a “high quality heritage asset” for the city.

The plans will see the ground floor subdivided to create the different leisure uses.

Cllr Cunningham asked how easy any work on the ground floor could be reversed in the future.

Officers said the subdivisions could easily be undone, and that the approval would also lead to repairs to the building’ exterior.

He asked if there was any suggestion of what the building’s upper floors could be used for, adding: “Would this work be detrimental to any future use?”

Planning officer Amin Ibrar said: “There haven’t been any proposals for the upper floors for a long time. This plan won’t prejudice access to upper floors – they will still be accessible.”

Councillor Zafar Ali (Cons, Keighley Central) asked if there was enough parking for the business.

Officers pointed out there was a multi storey NCP car park next door.