Plan for Legrams Lane charging station hits stumbling block

Zest, which provides charging infrastructure across the UK, had planned to turn an area off Legrams Lane into a five space EV charging station.

The company says the installation of the charging points and infrastructure on the site, next to the electricity substation at 174 Legrams Lane, would not require planning permission.

But the creation of a new vehicle access from Legrams Lane – including a dropped kerb, would require planning permission.

Zest submitted such an application earlier this Spring – but those plans have now been refused by Bradford Council.

The site is just yards from the busy junction of Legrams Lane, Beckside Road and Cemetery Road, and highways officers argued it would be too dangerous to introduce a new turn off so close to this junction.

Although classed as “unmade land” – Zest had argued that locals had used this site as a car park for over 10 years.

The planned EV charging station site (Image: Newsquest)

This was long enough, they claimed, for the land to legally be classed as a car park.

Planning officers agreed, and earlier this year decided the site could be legally used for parking.

Applications for the official vehicle access point and another for a digital display totem followed.

Delivery lockers and ANPR cameras would also be installed on the site under the plans.

Access to the car park is currently via an access road to the rear of the neighbouring convenience store.

Highways officers had raised concerns about the plans for the new access from Legrams Lane.

They said: “The site is in current use as an overflow car park that is used on an ad-hoc basis by residents of nearby properties and members of the public using the nearby retail outlets.

“The new dropped crossing would be formed to allow direct access into the car park and would facilitate use of an EV charging car park.

“It is notable that this access point sits within close proximity to the four-way junction which is subject to high frequency usage.

“The new access point would allow right turns from oncoming traffic into the site and this is foreseen to obstruct safe and free movement of vehicles through the nearby, busy, signalized junction.

“The proposal therefore raises highway safety concerns and would add additional vehicular access close to the existing junction.”

Refusing the plans, officers added: “Whilst the proposal has some positive effects, these are outweighed by the demonstrable harm to highway safety.”