Concern over plan for Legrams Mill complex in Bradford

An area of the Legrams Mill complex, New Mill House on Summerville Road, was severely damaged by fire in May 2021, and sections were demolished due to the damage.

Fire investigators found the fire was accidental.

Since then, part of the building that was previously used as a retail warehouse has been re-built in a much different style to the rest of the mill with large, modern windows.

Bradford Council officers have said that “no permission is apparent” for this work.

Now a planning application has been submitted to turn this modern re-build into a restaurant.

The plans, by Imran Muhammad, say the restaurant will create four full-time and four part-time jobs and “tie in seamlessly within the local vicinity".

The application adds: “The host site and surrounding buildings would not suffer any detrimental effect through the proposed works; rather, the applicant is willing to invest handsomely in the development of the site to positively enhance the local and wider area.

"We trust, based on the above, that the proposal will be deemed as exciting and stimulating for the local and wider community, gaining the support of the local planning authority.”

However, Bradford Council’s Conservation Officer Jon Ackroyd has voiced concern that the rebuilt section was “not sympathetic to the character of the building” – and could harm the wider regeneration of the site.

The section of the mill before the fire, and the unauthorised works (Image: google)

He said: “Since a serious fire in an attached structure, the building has been reinstated and extended in a different form to that previous.

“An extra bay has been added to the three-storey range, with a large new shuttered doorway at ground floor and a wide picture window above. No permission is apparent for these completed alterations.

“The proportions of the ground floor opening and that above are not consistent or sympathetic to the character of the building.

“The aluminium frames inserted in a number of openings are not consistent with the pattern or character of the windows generally found on the building.

“The proposed restaurant use will bring requirements for signage which will clutter the elevations of the building. It would seem the use is also reliant on good natural light from the unauthorised large window openings.

"These aspects will result in potential adverse effect on the longer term necessary regeneration of the building and its visual appearance.”

A decision on the application is expected next month.